Fresh December 2009
RSU Lobby Parliament over tuition fee hikes
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Winter fashion tips
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RSU Join over 50,000 people in opposition to Climate Change at ‘The Wave’.
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n Saturday 5th December, a large group of Roehampton students and staff members, past and present marched through the streets of central London, to pressure the government to take far greater action on climate change. With over 50,000 others from around the country also taking to the streets to participate, The Wave was the UK’s largest ever march against Climate Change. Timed to coincide with the start of the UN’s climate change talks in Copenhagen to aim for a new deal to be made as the Kyoto Protocol gets closer to it’s expiry date. The demonstation was also seen as the last remaining realistic lobby which could influence a fair and fast deal at the Cop 15. The march, usually an annual event known as The National Climate March was this year branded as The Wave and given a dress code where everyone was asked to turn up sporting as much blue clothing. The effect was visible from all angles, with a makeshift sea of blue shirts, placards, banners and ambitious floats making their decent from the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square through to Westminster, where the wave climaxed in a symbolic encircling of the houses of Parliament. RSU Meet Ed Miliband Following the march, we had the opportunity to meet with Ed Miliband, the governments Secretary Of State for Energy and Climate Change at a special Q&A session. Milband said :“I think today has been an absolutely brilliant signal of determination and commitment. My fear over a year ago was ‘are we going to get the popular mobilisation we need? How are we going to get other count on board? Are people really going to step up to the plate on this?’ I don’t say we’re there for Copenhagen at all, but I think there has been a big transformation across the world on this. I will do my damndest to get the best possible agreement we can at
Student blogs Page 10
5 Steps to a good Dissertation Page 11
Copenhagen”. RSU Vice President Communications,Anant Naik had the chance to meet Ed following the session: “It’s always hard to read politicians, but I think Ed was genuinely shaken after today, being in a room full of NGO’s and students must have been daunting, but he wasn’t just telling us what we wanted to hear. He knows that we have the power to lobby him to make changes, he mentioned that about a year ago and we’ve had a few splinter demos such as Kingsnorth and Ratfield since, but today it all came together, peacefully and I really hope he’ll keep that message with him in Copenhagen” The RSU joined a number of other Sea Change: Roehampton Students and students unions in solidarity staff turn out to support The Wave. throughout the march, including Susan Nash, the NUS’s Vice convergence will prove far more effective in showing the elites President Society and Citizenship who said: “The Wave was that we are now becoming impatient with their greenwash. a powerful demonstration of public concern. Students from When the two tripods first went up in the central landmark and across the country demonstrated alongside tens of thousands were then swiftly occupied, Superintendent Julia Pendry could of people to call for immediate action in Copenhagen. Our member’s message was loud and clear. We cannot delay action. only stand by and watch. The unfurling of the Capitalism is Crisis banner in the heart of London sends a clear message to We need a fair deal at Copenhagen.” hundreds of tourists and workers at one of London’s premier attractions. Some of them took the next step and came and Cop Out Camp Out joined us in the camp to see that another world is still possible. Although the The Wave dented the media in terms of coverage, with an inspiring demonstration of people power, cynics would Milliband, Mandelson and Brown really ought to be watching too, as their time is swiftly argue that marches don’t work, that’s why at approximately running down.” 3.30pm the Climate Camp(an environmental activist body) took over Trafalgar Square, another landmark in the city’s heart with a flash mob event known as the ‘Cop Out Camp Out’. Tents and kitchens were set up underneath two tripods upholding a banner reading ‘Nature doesn’t do bailouts’ to give Nelson and the square’s Norwegian tree some company, and they are still there today, as well are the people. Dave Tinham, a research student and lecturer at Roehampton mused on the effectiveness of the days activity “Whilst the Wave may have had the positive effect of reducing vehicle pollution along the route for a few hours, perhaps the decision by Camp for Climate Action to take Trafalgar Square for a 48 hour
Campaigns Pullout: Well Being/S.H.A.G. Week Reviews R.A.G. Week Vote results
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This issue of Fresh was printed on recycled paper. Please make sure you re-use/recycle it too, or at least leave it aside for someone else to read later. All content is available online at www.roehampton.ac.uk
Fresh Newspaper
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www.roehamptonstudent.com
Editorial Anant Naik, Editor in Chief & Production, VP Communications “So, what’s new then?” I hear you murmuring after folding over from the front page of your December issue of Fresh. Well, a lot. The month kicked off with a huge lobby of Parliament over the issue of rising tuition fees, where we took to Westminster to urge MP’s to “come clean on fees”. Since then we’ve also raised plenty of money for worthy causes such as Children In Need, AIDS relief and the Poppy Appeal (see just how much we raised on page 15), we’ve celebrated Roehampton’s 5th Anniversary as an independent University at the British Academy, I’ve taken part in a cross campus bike ride and the fastest ever game of Tug Of War during Well-Being Week, and to cap it off, just last weekend I met Ed Miliband, the Government’s Secretary Of State for Energy And Climate Change following The Wave – the UK’s largest ever march in solidarity against climate change! What’s more is that you can read about all of these things and much more inside this copy of Fresh. On a final note, I’d just like to introduce you to a chap just below my face and on the right. His name is Sam Kirby and he is our new Student Media Officer, who was sworn in at last months Student Union Council. He’s already been a great asset with the paper and the podcast and we’re grateful to have him on board. As always, that’s all from me until page 6 Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah/ Happy New Year and see you in a new decade!
Anant x
Josh Paterson, Editor, Student Media Officer
Sam Kendall Kirby, Editor, Student Media Officer
With the festive season in full swing, its time for Fresh to get Merry! We’ve got so much going on this month, with even more news and features on events from across campus and the capital! December sees the start of all things Christmas, including the Christmas Bash @ the Clapham Grand on the 14th, and plenty more fun taking place on & off campus! This month is also our first issue with my partner in crime, Mr Sam Kirby, RSU’s newly elected Student Media Officer. The Communication’s department is proud to present this December issue of Fresh & we will be back in the New Year with even more treats! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Hello guys! I am Sam, and I have recently been elected as the new part-time Student Media Officer. I am going to keep this short and sweet as I don’t really like writing about myself! I am a first year Journalism and have been fortunate enough to get some good work experience and well-known news companies so I feel that the skills that I gained can really help contribute to the different ranges of medium we have throughout the Uni including Fresh. I have many new ideas that the team can look at in order to improve the paper to make it more accessible to you! And don’t forget that your contributions are always welcome! Anyway, take care and have a great Christmas! Sam
Fresh This issue of Fresh Newspaper was brought to you by: Editor in Chief & Production - Anant Naik Student Editors - Josh Paterson & Sam Kendall Kirby With special thanks to: The Sabbs, Harry Harris, Nikki Watson, Alex Murray, Tadashi Suzuki, Berlinda Stott, Richard Donnelly, Joe Booth, Jerome Thomas, Sam Kirby, Caty Garcia, Natasha Pearson, Lucy Wallis, Luke Springett, Tim Birkbeck, Tom Halet, Ed Eames, Martin McGlynn, Adam Le Breuilly, Chris Davis, Georgia Day, Nhya Pasha, Dave Robson, Jonny Green, Luke Holiday, Ruth Price, Rochelle Harvey, Ryan William Cooper, Beth Cissel, Kelsey Heng, Jessica May Fergusson and Banquet Records!
Photo of the month: Team RSU promote World AIDS Day.
WRITERS WANTED.
Are you interested in writing for Fresh? Is there something you're not happy with and think you could improve on? Send in any articles you would like published to either fresh@roehampton.ac.uk or anant.naik@roehampton.ac.uk The deadline for the next edition of Fresh will be 27th November 2009.
Student Services to launch new student dram (p.9)
Thanksgiving in London (p.17)
For all advertising/marketing enquiries please email Chris O’Boyle on c.oboyle@roehampton.ac.uk or phone 020 8392 3221 RSU, Hirst Union Building, Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, Roehampton Lane, London, SW15 5PH
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Fresh Newspaper
News Roehampton Students take to Parliament to lobby their MP’s to come clean on Fees On Monday 9th November 2009 Lord Mandelson announced the Independent review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance. The review has support from both Labour and the Conservatives and will be chaired by Lord Browne, former Chief Executive of BP. The review is the first independent review of university fees since the government brought in top up fees in 2004 where fees were raised to a maximum of £3000 It comes in the wake of the government report Higher Ambitions, which include policies on greater graduate engagement with universities, widening participation and more contextual information for prospective students. The framework however, is silent on the matter of tuition fees. Although the review is Independent, recent comments by Lord Mandelson suggest that he intends to pave the way for a further increase in fees. His comments that students should become more like consumers appear to tie in student satisfaction to ‘value for money’ Effectively, higher or variable fees between institutions would price students from lower socio-economic backgrounds out of the HE market, or at best set up a two-tier system differentiating between those who can afford to buy an ‘elite’ degree and those who can’t. More significantly, the results of the independent review will only be ready after the next general election. Despite this being a matter which affects all students, alumni, parents and members of society as a whole in some way or another, it’s a topic which has been kept of the agenda ahead of next years general election. With both Labour and the Conservatives keeping tight lipped. As a direct response the NUS held a snap lobby of parliament just two days later where hundreds of students and unions from around the UK descended onto parliament to arrange meetings with their MP’s and get them to come clean on the fees debate. And more importantly to come clean on where they stood on increasing tuition fees even further. During the lobby, students were encouraged to request meetings with their MP’s and urge them to come clean about their position on the fees debate. Unfortunately Justine Greening, MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields was away. Justine did however write back to us claiming that she was “pleased that the government has, at last, announced the details of the long promised review of Higher Education finance.” She stressed the importance of the review being “genuinely independent” but did not comment on the panel’s lean towards industry and even refered to students as ‘customers’ when it came to education, suggesting a marketised education system. Although she did mention the reviews responsibility in ensuring that “no young person is prevented from attending university on the grounds of finance and that access to HE must be based on merit” her comments echoed that of David Lammy(Minister for State for Innovation, Universities and Skills), who earlier in the day refused to get off the fence about over the issue and confess if he would vote for or against a rise in tuition fees and a two-tiered system. One Roehampton student present, Luke Springett reflected on the days events, “I’ve always been passively interested in politics but never really taken an interest or had a huge amount of knowledge. After visiting parliament that’s completely changed, listening to a debate about fees, a topic that will affect a generation of students has really made me take an interest. I’ve never felt this politically empowered and I now believe that we as students can truly change the out-come of the next election.”
RSU Celebrate Roehampton University’s 5th Anniversary Roehampton University marks its 5th birthday since gaining independence from the University of Surrey in 2004 and in true Roeho style, a big bash with all the well to do people took place at the British Academy on Pall Mall. The evening brought together people from all areas connected with the University, including former Vice Chancellors, national journalists, University councillors, local dignitaries and even the RSU Sabbatical Team! We heard speeches from Sir David Bell, chairman of the University Council; John Simpson – Chancellor of the University and Paul O’Prey, the Vice-Chancellor along with RSU President Gary Coates and Tope Omoniyi, a professor in English Language and Linguistics, who wrote a poem in honour of the occasion. The speakers reflected on how far Roehampton has come in such a short space of time and also looking forward to the exciting future ahead for the University and all those associated to it. For pictures and news stories, have a look at the Universities’ website.
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Nursery Closure: The Full Story Redford House has been Roehampton University’s on-site childcare facility for a number of years providing childcare between the ages of 5 months and 5 years, catering for up to 47 chidren, led by Monika Hammel Lobo and her team of dedicated staff. By the end of this academic year, Redford House will no longer open its doors to the children of Roehampton staff, students and local community residents. Due to the complicated nature of RU’s relationship with the four parent colleges it is founded on, many areas of land on the campus as well as contracts on buildings and properties overlap. Such is the case with Redford House (located opposite Jebb Auditorium, Froebel College), where the IFEI (Froebel Education Institute) own the building and the University rent the property from them. Unfortunately, as of August 27th 2010, this arrangement will no longer exist as the lease is being terminated. Jane Broadbent, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has been heading up the University’s negotiations with the interested parties… “We really value and appreciate the nursery provision that we have enjoyed at Redford House. Sadly, we do not have the funds to replace the Redford House premises following the termination of the lease of the current building in September 2010. We must, therefore, find other ways of supporting staff and student parents and have been in discussion with parents about various possibilities. Discussions are continuing with Wandsworth Early Years Services and the Eastwood Centre as well as other potential providers.” The discussions concerning the closure have been extensive and the challenge to find viable alternatives has been significant. Including discussions in University committees through to University Council. The financial deficit the Nursery incurred is cited as the most significant reason for the on campus facility to cease. The current options that are With the Nursery disappearing, who can parents count on? available to parents include moving to a local nursery facility at Eastwood on Roehampton Lane and even the possibility of a student parent cooperative nursery, headed up by members of the ‘Parents Action Group’, who are currently planning a business case and have passionately campaigned and lobbied for the Redford House negotiations to re-open. Monika Hammel Lobo reflects on her time at the Nursery : “The quality of the education and care Redford House offers, lies with its dedicated, professional and committed staff team; the flexible care we have been able to offer to student parents, such as part time and sessional bookings and an understanding that time tables may change during the academic year and therefore nursery bookings also may have to change. The Froebelian ethos we follow allows us to keep children’s interest at the centre of our approach, and the wonderful campus lends itself for children to have rich experiences exploring the natural world. I look back with great joy on all we have achieved so far, our wonderful parades, our ‘secret garden’ offering a nesting place for blue tits, discovering and enjoying nature with our 3 and 4 year olds at Forest School, hosting many students for observations, placements and questionnaires, planting and watering in the allotment, taking part in many of the cultural events such as Divali, Eid, Holocaust Memorial Day, being part of the sports programme with the children, etc. There are so many wonderful moments to hold on to, so many dedicated and facilitative colleagues throughout the University to thank. It is therefore with great sadness that Redford House will close its doors end of August 2010, due to the loss of the current lease and apparently no room on campus for an on-sight facility, once the Nursery will be lost after August 2010, I feel it will be difficult to replace the ethos and culture again.” RSU would like to thank Monika and her team for providing such a high quality service for so many years and will continue to fight for a nursery provision on site for future generations of student parents.
www.roehamptonstudent.com
Any Other Business Major Power Outages Across Campus This Christmas: Will you be effected? Over the Christmas period this year essential installation work will be taking place to help the University achieve carbon reduction and reduce energy consumption on the Digby-Stuart and Southlands campuses. As a consequence of this work the power will be no electrical power at the following buildings between 8am – 5pm on the dates listed below; Sunday 27th December 2009 Queens Building, Lakeside, Southlands, Residencies, Houses 76 & 78. Monday 28th December 2009 LRC, Shaw House, Duchesne, Hirst, Fincham, Lee House Tuesday 29th December 2009 Erasmus House, Bede House, Newman House, Richardson, Jubilee, Howard, Romero Court, Barat House, Trade yard All staff and students based in these buildings are asked to switch off all electrical equipment (computers, photocopiers, kitchen appliances etc) before the times and dates stated above to avoid any damage to equipment when the power is restored. All computer suites will need to be closed as follows: Southlands SQB 046 Computer Suite; Closed for the entire Christmas period as usual during vacations. Library Computer Suites INCLUDING WIRED will be subject to the following opening hours; Thursday 24th December 12:30pm – Sunday 27th December 7am open via 24 hour access doors. Sunday 27th December 7am – Tuesday 29th December 5pm CLOSED. Tuesday 29th December 5pm – Monday 4th January 9am open via 24 hour doors. Whitelands G064 Open Access Computer Suite; Will be open for the entire Christmas and New Year period. It is anticipated that off site access to computer resources will remain active throughout this period unless the power down creates unforeseen circumstances. We will do our best to keep users informed via student zone, staff zone and study zone if there are any difficulties. Whitelands G060 Common Room; Room GO60 at Whitelands will be open each day while these outages occur and anybody is welcome to make use of the facilities which include a small fridge, kettle, microwave, sofas and a toilet. If you have any specific concerns on the day, please visit Grove House Reception. There will be members of staff on duty during the outage that will be contactable via Security. Dan Smith Department of Property and Facilities Management
Students Launch Campaign to Allow Online Gaming on Campus Hi newbs, since I started here at Roehampton just over a year ago, I have been in my element. A great course, great social life, great amount of women, and well I could keep going like this, but there was always something that I had back at home in Birmingham that not even Roehampton could provide. This is online gaming. When I started back in September ’08, I started with Warcraft in hand hoping to continue levelling my druid and pwning noobs in the process, but when I realised the firewall was blocking it, I just sat back and did nothing about it. Until now. I am starting a pressure group that hopefully the admin of Roehampton will respond to. Online gaming not only provides a place to relax after a stressful day of hard studies but it is always a way many people can be social not online with friends on campus, but also those back at home. A separate server could be the answer to this, set up specifically for students to fight it out on the net, and due to the recent release of the massively popular game ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’ students
want to play to get their money’s worth. SO LET US! Without going into too much detail about why we cannot physically have nice things at Roehampton, the firewall restrictions put in place are not actually put there by the university but by the external ISP. The current situation is that the admin know about this movement, and thus know we want online gaming for halls. So this is a group designed to get as much support as possible, and try to speed the process of getting this situation resolved. I know you are out there, nerds, geeks, jocks, chavs, pretty boys/girls. All of you must gather for this one movement so that we can actually get this going for all people who live on campus. Search ‘On Campus online Gaming for Roehampton’ on facebook, join the group so that we can actively try to change student living for the better! If anyone wants to get in touch with me regarding this topic, please email me on lebreuia@roehampton.ac.uk Adam Le Breuilly
NUS News
A round up from the national voice for students.
Student Loans: “Heads Must Roll” says NUS NUS welcomed the Government’s response to Sir Deian Hopkin’s report into the mismanagement of the Student Loans Company, which led to hundreds of thousands of students waiting for payments weeks after the beginning of the academic year. Higher Education Minister David Lammy said that “decisive action is required to change the service”, and that “the key to this is strengthening the leadership of the Company and ensuring that the customer is at the heart of everything the Company does”. David Lammy also confirmed that “the senior management team of the Company will be strengthened and reorganised”. NUS President, Wes Streeting, said: “The poor leadership and management of the Student Loans Company has led to disruption and hardship for hundreds of thousands of students. Given the catalogue of failures identified by this report, heads must roll if the public are to have any confidence in the SLC in the future.
MPs line up to praise NUS in debate on the future of higher education Higher Education Minister David Lammy has said the question of access, not only for young people, but for mature and part-time students, would be central to the ongoing higher education fees review. The Minister was responding to a Westminster Hall debate in which MPs from all parties praised the role of NUS in the ensuing debate on funding. NUS was variously congratulated for the effectiveness of its “extremely well organised” lobby in which it asked MPs to come clean on fees and for its Blueprint for the Future of Higher Education Funding. Lammy attacked the Liberal Democrat policy of supporting a freeze on fees and therefore a limit of student numbers, arguing that the party must “come clean with students”.
NUS condemns university financial support system NUS has condemned universities for offering financial support on the basis of academic ability rather than a student’s need. A report commissioned by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA), entitled ‘Awareness, take-up and impact of institutional bursaries and scholarships in England’, found that “non-means-tested scholarships were worth slightly more on average than financial support targeted exclusively at low-income students”. NUS also expressed its concern that the report had aligned OFFA’s ‘philosophy’ with the fact that “students with the same financial needs have access to very different amounts of financial support depending on where they study”. Average bursaries for poorer students at Russell Group universities are more than double those at post-1992 institutions (£1,500 compared with £700). Scholarships are typically worth £1,000.
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Fresh Newspaper
Blogs President, Gary Coates
Digby Stuart, Harry Harris
Ok, I’m pretty sure everyone is knee deep in assignments and other stuff right now, my thoughts go out to you, I remember what that’s like! For me, this semester has gone so ridiculously quickly I can’t believe it!
Christmas is upon us.
We’ve now trained around 80 programme reps, all with their own badges to show for it! What a great group of people and good luck to all of you for the rest of the year in your representation work! I’ve also been negotiating our involvement with the National Student Survey (NSS), so final year undergraduates, look out for the survey, it’s your chance to speak out! I also attended the ‘Enterprising Roehampton Awards’, where our very own Roehampton Rascals Cheerleading squad received a special award in recognition of their work with the local community, well done team! I’ve also met with the Dance department (great bunch!) as well as discussing next semesters energy saving competition… watch this space! Other interesting things : Roehampton’s 5th Birthday (more to come later), the Froebel Supper honouring the creation of Darwin’s evolutionary theory and planning the Unions’ entry into the ‘Sound Environmental Impact Awards’. I’ve also joined RoeAcitve gym, so come down and keep me company! Good Luck to everyone with coursework and assignment deadlines and have a fantastic Christmas break. See you on the other side!
VP Activities, Natasha Blake As the year draws to an end all those deadlines for essays creep up and everyone’s head starts to fill with the bewilderment that is Christmas, I think that we all need the time to reflect on how we can get active for the New Year. The activities department is developing new ways to cater for students and staff. A few different things have been cropping up from socials to active engagement events which are displayed throughout the Website, podcast and newspaper. Activities trips away are still buzzing and Thriller-live proved that we could go out and represent Roehampton, let’s do it again at winter wonderland which is coming up on the Saturday 12th December and the great thing about it is that it’s free! Check for info on The RSU website. Also look out for Tickets on Lion King, Go Ape and Newquay, trips coming in the New Year. What I defiantly want to see a push on is the Give It a Go activities section and any ideas the students may have on developing them. We have the Permaculture classes going on every Monday, pole dancing, DJ workshops Wednesdays and Tai-chi and self-defence both at £2.50 an hour cheaper than any outside organisation. Also be sure to look out for advertisements of the Volunteer fair which we will be holding on the 15th January as part of the re-fresher’s fair, it looks set to reignite the opportunities for student volunteers. If you have any questions regards to Activities, please contact me at Natasha.blake@roehampton.ac.uk
As the term draws to a close there are plenty of things going on and plenty of things coming up at Digby this Festive Season. The International Society are holding a Night in the Belfry, and as the weather is getting for lack of a better phrase “bloody freezing” and in light of the large Norwegian contingent they have decided to theme it “Viking Night. The Digby Lions are hosting their very own Ladies Night and I’m informed that the Roehampton Rascals themselves have some surprises in store so there is something to watch out for. With funds running low and stressays on the agenda work seems to be the order of the day for most but with Christmas upon us some festive spirit must indeed be in order. A quick note also to all those who came and performed at Digby’s Got Talent, it was great to see so many talented individuals coming along and showing all of us some really great stuff, I and everyone else (I hope) really enjoyed it. Harry
Froebel, Nikki Watson Welcome to the winter! It’s finally at that time where we are all skint, exams are looming and the weather quite frankly sucks! However, you Froebelites have shown that not even the weather will hold you back. Theres has been some cracking events last month, which were all really busy! Thanks again for the turnout! This month coming, we have National Aids Day which will be headed up with a fundraising night “Get Your Knickers in a Twist” at the bar on Tuesday 1st December. Then we have the Froebel Xmas party, which will be held on Thursday the 10th. WE will have a 2 course sit down meal in the beautifully decorated Monte Hall, followed by an acoustic set by 3 of our favourite Froebel singers – Sam, Will and Bob! Santa will be making an appearance in the grotto, and rumour has it that DJ Dave will be spinning tunes into the night. Tickets are only a fiver (what a bargain) so don’t miss out on your chance to grab all of this and get dressed up, and have a ball. So for anyone I don’t see, have an awesomely happy Christmas, and a fantastically drunk New Year! Nikki x
Let’s Get ACTIVE! (Pure cheese)
VP Communications, Anant Naik
Southlands, Alex Murray
In an attempt to avoid repeating myself, the past month has been, at the very least, incredible, The RSU has been on the forefront of political activity. From lobbying Parliament and fighting a potential rise in tuition fees at the beginning of the month to joining 60,000 people in marching through the streets of London in opposition to climate change and meeting Ed Miliband to round it off, and even allowing some time to swing by the after-party-come-protest held by the Climate Camp in Trafalgar Square afterwards. Apart from fighting two of the biggest threats facing young people today (I know, I’m a hero…) I’ve also been busy closer to home. The Podcast is snowballing (apologies for that winter pun) with a lot of momentum, so I’d like to add a huge thumbs up to Max Taylor-Mitchinson for heading that up superbly. Well-being week and S.H.A.G. Week also went spiffingly well, and I’m also working with Alumni services on a few exciting prospects for graduation 2010!
November has been a busy month. At the beginning of the month was the Arton Wilson Welcome party – I think it would be fair to say the weather truly messed up the day’s plans. However, we made the best of a bad situation, with lots of free food, movies and PS3 throughout the day. And as the stars started to come out the night got busier, with a live performance from Shakka and DJ Envy making the night a big success.
With ‘party season’ as Mr. Coates would put it, fast approaching it seems like it’s finally getting festive up here at Roehampton. I hope to see plenty of you before term breaks, but I’m looking forward to seeing you even more come January when you’re back and rested up for Refreshers Week!
VP Welfare & Campaigns, Becky Aston So Christmas is finally upon us!!! This has been a long but successful term in the Welfare and Campaigns Department. We have now completed four of the campaigns for the year, all of which have been extremely successful, and we are now looking ahead to what the rest of the year will bring. Next semester we kick things off with a bang with R.A.G. Week, in which we hope to beat last years total raised of £5000. We recently had an online vote and the final charities that we will be supporting have been chosen. We have also linked up with the University to do an ‘Energy Saving Competition’ with the chance for the college that reduces their energy consumption the most to win various prizes. Make sure you check our website over the next few weeks for more details on all of this. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Hope you enjoy the holidays and see you all when you get back! Becky x
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Southlands has been host to a few movie nights, which always see a big turnout despite the film choice - Twilight :’( Ultimate Frisbee held a fundraiser with DJ’s, raffles and drinks games – 3 pint challenge, to drink 3 pints from a Frisbee, in under 17seconds to bet the current record! And as Christmas rolls in, look out for Southlands Big Christmas Quiz 8th December and Southlands Christmas Meal 15th December. Both guaranteed to be good nights. Other than that, we hope the essays are going well and you all enjoy the break. xx
Whitelands, Tadashi Suzuki Whitelands! Well, Whitelands is doing good. Lots of students have started to do things that we are actually here at Roehampton for…(not party). Third year students seem a bit stressed about dissertations, although First year students seem quite relaxed still. We had a May Monarch election and Whitelands Xmas Dinner/Party on the 10th December. Hmm, what else..? Oh!.. We had a Noise Awareness Slogan competition between flats on campus. Each flat came up with a slogan to reduce noise related problems on and around the campus. The winner slogan is, ‘Don’t make a racket, not everyone can hack it!’ What do you think? Let me know by getting in touch!
www.roehamptonstudent.com
No matter what our experiences have been with our biological fathers, there is one perfect Father for all people. The One who knew Him best constantly referred to Him as ‘your Daddy’ to help us understand our relationship with Him. He said that although many of us are estranged from our Father, if we would turn back to Him, He is waiting to run to us, to welcome us, to celebrate our return and to love us.
Would you like to meet Him?
Go to www.lci.org.uk/wyd or come and visit us.
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Environmental Photos from The Wave was the UK’s largest ever march in support for far greater and adequate action on Climate Change to be taken now. Timed to coincide with the start of the Copenhagen talks, the demonstation was also seen as the last remaining realistic lobby which could influence a deal at the Cop 15. The Wave saw over 50,000 people, including 18 Roehampton students and staff take to the streets of London, as well as other cities. Here are some of the photos from the day...
Photos courtesy of Kelsey Heng
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www.roehamptonstudent.com
Roehampton Meets ‘Skins’: RU Unplugged Within These Halls! Money Doctors and Student Services to launch new student Drama focusing on a variety of issues that affect the common student... Think of the variety of teen-dramas that have graced our screens over the last few years; Skins, Hollyoaks & the new E4 series, Misfits. All of these programmes tackle issues related to teenage and social life in 21st Century Britain. Now its Roehampton’s turn to get creative and focus on the issues students could face during life at University.
Switch off the lights, time that shower and does it really need to be on stand by? The Roehampton University RU Unplugged energy reduction challenge is here. Colleges are going to go head to head, with staff and students responsible for doing all they can to cut our per capita energy use between January and March. The College that shows the greatest reduction from the building’s average use wins a plaque, and for residential students- the chance of free Summer Ball tickets. Director of Property and Facilities Management Dr Ghazwa Alwani-Starr said the main goal was to educate people and promote environmentally friendly behaviour. “The most important aspect of the challenge is students’ educating fellow students and empowering future leaders. There is no telling what the larger impact of the event is,” she said. “We are hoping for ripple effect among staff and students; that by one person encouraging another to switch off, to raise awareness of both the environmental side of the issue, and also the financial aspect of energy waste as well. It is important for students to think about their energy habits now because the habits they establish can carry on later in their lives.” RU Unplugged will be launched in January. For more details, keep an eye out on Studentzone.
Money Doctors is an invaluable student service at Roehampton University. Nicky Reid – The Money Doctor herself, helps students with finance issues, including budgeting, student loan & credit card problems, and many more! You may have seen their stall at the Freshers Fair this year dishing out bitesize taster tests to see if students could taste the difference between a ‘Basic brand’ and the leading brand product. It was a great success and Nicky has been busy helping students battle through this year’s student loan chaos. The RSU & Nicky Reid have been working very hard alongside the director of Channel 4’s ‘Hollyoaks’ (a former Roehampton student) to bring you a brand new, real life animated series, set on-campus at Roehampton University! ‘Within These Halls’ is a series of short stories tackling the issues students may face whilst studying at University, including alcohol misuse, money problems, and disability. Set in the local hangouts of Roehampton, including the Belfry & The Bop, it tackles these issues face on, with Roehampton students playing the parts! Each episode will be brought to you online, delivered to your email inbox and through the RSU & Roehampton websites & YouTube in the New Year, just like a TV drama! Look out for the launch that will be taking place in the next few weeks! Josh Paterson
Report It! Road Show Report It! is a scheme that was set up a few years ago between RSU and the local Safer Neighbourhood Team. It was created as a way of not only making sure that students became part of the Roehampton community, but also so that if students had become victims of crime they had somewhere to report it. It also provided the opportunity to make sure that information about crime reduction and personal safety could be passed on. Unfortunately it is a fact that students are less likely to report if they have been a victim of crime, and this is something we want to change by linking up with Roehampton’s Safer Neighbourhood Team. The scheme runs on a fortnightly basis and the PCSO’s are available to talk to from 11.30am till 1pm every other Friday in Benda and Tracey’s Café (next to the RSU). As well as doing this throughout the year we have decided to do a Report It! road show where the PCSO’s, Wandsworth Council and RSU go to each of the campuses handing out information about personal safety etc, and speak to students about living in Roehampton. This is something that was piloted during Well Being Week and was extremely successful as it reached out to both students and staff. This is something that we are going to continue to do throughout the year at various points. Our next road show is going to be in January, so it is a perfect opportunity to make sure that any expensive Christmas presents can be marked etc, as well as a chance to come and meet the team. Whilst doing the campaigns crawl at the beginning of the year a number of students mentioned concerns about living in Roehampton and personal safety. This scheme is something that was created as a way of reaching out to students to ease any concerns that they have. The Roehampton Safer Neighbourhood Team work very closely with the local community and have been a key part of making sure that any issues that have arisen both inside and outside of the University have been resolved. Because of their hard work and dedication they were recently awarded the best Safer Neighbourhood Team in Wandsworth. If anyone has any concerns about crime or personal safety and would like to talk to the team please email becky.aston@roehampton.ac.uk or Nicola.Edwardes@met. police.uk.
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Fresh Newspaper
Features Student Blogs:
Personal...
The power of Snap-Journalism style student reporting. Blogging: a phoenominom thats grown and grown since the Noughties began. A blog, or ‘web-log’ refers to a website where writers update information regularly in the form of posts and threads, be it for personal or other reasons. One of the strengths blogs have is their speed, the usual delay of print media is non-existent within the blogosphere. With blogs, thoughts can go live in seconds, unquashed or compromised by production. Perhaps blogs are the tuest form of journalism we’ve seen for some time? Sure theres quality control over posts, but with more and more posts, from mobiles or laptops, the floor of the cutting room is left less messy to say the least. And with the climate we’re in, blogging is an incredibly apt way for passionate writers to gain the attention they deserve, rather than having to climb the greasy pole that is the Journalism market The bloggersphere is a particularly great place for students, to either express interest in their course, outside the curriculum they study in lectures. They can also focus on random topics, about things that happen in life that either are newsworthy, or are not. Certain blogs function as diaries sans the padlocks, that’s the beuaty of them, for either the author or the voyeur. We love blogging culture here at Fresh, so here are a few journals from Roehampton students that have our attention over the past few months...
Music... Broken Boy Box Music Who?: Aran Suddi What?: “I’m Aran and I’m a lazy student. Well almost. You see on this blog I have made it my mission to find new music for you to enjoy. Not so lazy anymore am I?” Aran is also the chap reponsible for the ‘Earth,Wind & Fire for Summer Ball’ Facebook group! Where: www.brokentoyboxmusic. blogspot.com
Dr Tchock II Who?: Thom Lowe What?: Metaphysics and Philosophy. Just enjoy it. What Now?: www.drtchockii.blogspot.com
Photography... Two seperate photo blogs from a pair of our American staff photographers, who sadly, are leaving us at the end of this semester to study back in California. Square Of Life Who?: Bethany Cissel What?: Thank you for being here. I am twenty, and i’m a photo journalism student in the LA area, currently in London. May i take your picture? Where?: www.squareoflife.wordpress.com Kelsey J Heng Who?: Kelsey Heng What?: I am currently a Visual Journalism student at Biola Univeristy. For three months I am a student at Roehampton Univeristy, learning about culture, news, and life the Brit way. Thanks for reading my blog. Where?: www.kelseyheng.wordpress.com
Other... The London Free University What?: A free University set up by a group supportive of education for all. TLFU offers a range of free courses run by a few, for no profit whatsoever. “We want to question access to knowledge, the uniformity of success and production, and to experiment with alternatives and the redistribution of knowledge. We invite you to cross these borders and see where we can go with the freedoms we create for ourselves”. Where? www.thelondonfreeuniversity.wordpress.com
Sirens of London Who: Ed Eames What: Well informed music reviews from one of our own house writers. Where?: www.sirensoflondon. blogspot.com
Castle Grey Skullz Who?: Max Hopkins Fagan & Joe Gale What?: A professionally critical approach to modern film and culture. Where?: www.castlegreyskullz. blogspot.com
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Owen Baxter’s Musing over the World. Who?: Anonymous What?: “The thoughts and life of a gay student living and studying in London!” Where?: www.owenbaxter.blogspot.com
Keep Fit Comrade What: An exercise group formed by a group including Roehampton alumni which they run, for free in their London squat. “Keep Fit Comrade is a project attempting to build autonomous communities and stronger resistance through cultures of collective exercise undivorced from political intent.” Where?: www.keepfitcomrade. wordpress.com
RSU on Twitter... Roehampton Students Union Twitter name: RoehamptonSU What: A place to get the most up to date news from the RSU. Also doubles up as a shameless plug. Where?: www.twitter.com/RoehamptonSU
5 Steps To A Good Dissertation Writing a good dissertation depends on many factors... 1. How can I decide on a topic? Your first task is to determine the topic area of your study. Do keep your dissertation simple: you need to be very clear about exactly what you intend to look into. You should also be genuinely interested in the area, as you will spend a considerable amount of time working on this project. Now formulate your objectives. These must be clear, showing your reasons for undertaking the study. If you try to undertake a dissertation without doing this, you will find that you have amassed a collection of data and reading that you cannot organise in a coherent way nor analyse effectively. Choose a fairly narrow, focused question so that you can manage the work easily. It may seem far too narrow to you to begin with, but the most common problem in dissertation-writing is having too much to explore. Less is more! 2. What sort of research will I do? There are several different types of dissertation you can write. Some of these are detailed below: •an empirical study, which is based on the systematic gathering and analysis of data with reference to some questions to be answered or a hypothesis to be tested. •an historical study, which involves an examination of an issue or development based on historical enquiry and normally involves the use of first-hand sources from archives and libraries; •a critical study, consisting of the examination of a concept, issue, dispute or theory, involving library based research; •a comparative study, consisting of the exploration of an issue, question or theory in relation to more than one country or state (library based research). You should discuss your initial ideas with your supervisor and your research methodology should then become much clearer. 3. How will I find information on my topic? You will need to use the Library (of course!) and maybe other university libraries or professional organisations to track down information. Journals are also extremely important, as can be CD-ROMs, videos, the Internet, etc. Use electronic databases too. Carry out your research systematically and thoroughly. The Academic Liaison Librarians are invaluable too and will help direct you to areas of relevance. It is VITAL that you arrange an ATHENS password at the Library to allow you to access journals from home. The librarians will help you with this. Do remember to keep a record of the sources you use as you go along. Index files are useful and you may find it helpful to photocopy key articles. You don’t want to finish writing your dissertation and then find you don’t have a record anywhere of the sources you referred to!
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job you will do together is to hone your question and ensure the area you are researching is suitable. Prepare for a meeting with your supervisor by jotting down questions beforehand – it is really easy to get sidetracked and forget the main purpose of the meeting. Your supervisor needs to know from you, the best way to help you. 5. The nitty gritty: actually doing it! Start writing quite early... One of the biggest hurdles to get over when doing a dissertation is to actually start writing. It’s much less threatening to read, read, read and then read a little more. Reading is vitally important, but, at some point, you have to put down your books and start thinking and writing! Not being adept at writing is not an excuse. When you write dissertation, you will practise your writing skills and improve as you move along. Write an outline of your proposal, showing the bare bones of what you intend to do and then ‘flesh it out’ with more detail until you have a fairly detailed plan. This will help to keep your thinking on track. Using data... Remember that you need to analyse any data and findings. This is arguably the most important part of your dissertation. Do not rush it! Analyse the data in terms of the purpose of the investigation. Comment in detail on the data. Show that you have interpreted the data, not just described it, using evidence from the data to support the analysis. Look back at your discussion of the literature to develop and inform the analysis, comparing your findings with others where and if appropriate. Then, finally, discuss implications that can be drawn from the analysis of the data. Keep in mind... •Your dissertation must have a logical structure and should be clear and coherent. •Charts, etc should be used where appropriate, but make sure you explain their significance. All data should be clearly presented. •References must be complete and consistently presented. •Use appendices where relevant. These must be clearly numbered and should not usually total more than 2000 words or the equivalent. (Check this with your supervisor). •Bibliography. This must be in accordance with academic conventions. See your Programme Handbook for details. You should include a wide range of sources and a substantial number of texts. Gemma Kelly RSU Academic and Financial Advisor
4. How is a dissertation ‘taught’? You should be allocated a supervisor. The first thing you should do is get in touch. Your supervisor won’t be pursuing you – the onus is on you. The first
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Fresh Newspaper
Features Student Slash Parent
into the kitchen there is always someone to talk to, regardless of the time. It’s been tried and tested and we can fit everyone into the kitchen, it’s a tight drunken squeeze but it’s one hell of a party!
Surviving my first term at University...
Lee house can keep their en-suites, Shaw their living rooms and Newman their showers. We’ve got a Corridor! We’ve got a massive kitchen!; which thanks to last year’s occupants has been entirely re-done and the saucepans removed from the ceiling. Sure one of the showers didn’t have a lock and there’s a knob missing on one of the hobs, sure I can hear every door bang along the corridor; but it’s got something. Bede has history, it’s got class in it’s scuminess.
And so the end is near… I face the final curtain… for some of you this may sound familiar, but I’m not talking about Frank Sinatra’s song, although it could well fit in here! I’m talking about the last slow-paced weeks of our beloved winter term! Reading week seems so long ago and, looking back, it felt like I spent every single day of it going to the library. My son had half term, we took books out, which at the time I didn’t even know what for but it seemed like the right thing to do! My son seemed to love coming with me and roaming around the building looking for books too, which made it much easier for me. I ended up with a pile of books, supposedly for the assignments that I was so convinced to be able to get on with during that week. Yeah right! I did manage to get all the books I needed, but that was as close as I got to them! It has been overwhelming, trying to get ready for lectures, and trying to do the assignments, all at the same time! I feel like I need 36-hour days to accomplish everything on time. My days are like a blur, waking up, studying, feeding, studying, feeding, and sleeping, to start all over again! Who said Uni was fun?! Who? Whoever said that come and let me know how you did it, I want the secret! I’m sure a lot of others want it as well. I have had to make realistic goals for my studies. Deep down I knew it was going to be impossible to do the assignments and prepare my lessons, plus take care of the house and my son, all at the same time. If I really wanted to have a mellow Christmas break with my family then I should take matters into my own hands and do something about it!! So I spoke with some classmates in the same situation. We all decided to try and get one assignment done each week then pass it around amongst us for feedback. This will help us to do one assignment per week, have enough time to fix it if needed and then prepare the reading for the lectures. There is nothing like teamwork!! Plus it gave us all opportunity to get to know each other better. So far it has been good. I have managed to use the weekdays to prepare my lessons and the weekends to do the assignments. I have to say that it is a tough timetable to follow, but my goal is to finish everything by the week of the 14th of December and then enjoy my well-deserved Christmas break! Everything feels much better now, I don’t freak out and get all stressed out as much anymore because I know I can only worry about lectures during weekdays and about assignments during weekends. I have also been able to fit a couple of nights free during the week to enjoy myself and set fixed days to take my son to extra-curricular activities and help out at his school for the Christmas fair. It seems my life through Uni will be ruled by a constant timetable, but it feels like it is the only way to get everything done. Though not everything is as it sounds, I just found out that my son won’t start school until the 11th of January and I’m starting my school placement on the 5th of January…. now I need to figure out what I am going to do with him during that whole week!! Such is life! Not everything is perfect and can be managed with a timetable! I am sure everyone is so much looking forward to go home for Christmas, at least I know I am, that I can already smell my mum’s food and hear the laughter of my family around the table, and hopefully my mind will be far far away from Uni thoughts...until January! Enjoy your holiday! And I couldn’t leave you without sounding sentimental… Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Caty Garcia.
To Bede, Or Not To Bede? Twenty eight people, four floors and fire alarms. Lots and lots of fire alarms. When I got the call from accommodation I literally begged to be put somewhere else; that didn’t happen. But here’s the thing, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Bede is my home, I live with some of the craziest people and let’s face it; it’s sort of a requirement. The fun times never end and there’s drama, always drama. There was one week where we had four fire alarms! The cherry on the cake was when we got back to bed at six am...only for it to go off again at eight. We all made our lectures that morning..and that doesn’t happen often. We party every night and whenever you go
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We Bede inhabitants are proud supporters of the ‘I LOVE GUS’ association as well as Harris’ ‘YOUR BELFRY NEEDS YOU’ support group. Our livers grumble in unison to our very own chorus of “Bede 2 Till We Die”. We rally together under the much reputed banner of Bede, our camaraderie as a group of people living together is unrivaled. In our first year alone we will consume twenty eight different versions of Asda’s Face Cake! We have renovated the kitchen three times already for Halloween, bonfire night and birthdays. Show me where else on campus that you will find such creative decorative inspiration? Not even the Bop could compete with the level of cheese with which we throw parties. Our bathrooms are stained from Ingrid’s enthusiastic fake blood from Halloween. Our walls covered in twenty eight people’s hilarious quotes and our livers scared by multiple memorable nights. So you can keep your sofas, showers and living rooms... we have Bede & we will have it till we die! Becca Newton
Student Union Council On November 3rd the second Student Union Council (SUC) meeting of the academic year took place in Monte Hall, Froebel. SUC is the main decision body for Roehampton Students’ Union. It consists of all of the student representatives, i.e the Sabbatical team, The DP’s and their respective Liaisons and all of the various part-time officers who work for the Union coming together to discuss and decide RSU policies that will enhance our wellbeing and engagement here at Roehampton and make your time spent here more enjoyable. For example in the previous meeting issues that were discussed included; security, canteen food and canteen prices, noise levels when returning from events such as The Grand, Fez and the Bop and possibilities of a free shuttle bus service to and from Asda. Other suggestions which have been discussed include the winner of Frigby and the winner of Shitelands going head to head to see who the ultimate campus champion is! You can see by some of the things that have been mentioned that these are all relevant to you and me as students here at the university. However in the last meeting there weren’t very many student observers. As a student observer you get the chance to have your voice heard, by suggesting things which could be done better or raising an issue that you are unhappy with. It’s only once a month and it’s a great chance to have your say on issues that matter to you. So come along and voice your opinion, because I’m glad I voiced mine! Birju Thakker
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? MORE SOME TO O H P WANT SU THE R LINE AT VISIT N O Y t.com R GALLE amptonstuden S h e T o PHO O www.r THESE E FROM E E S TO OR ANY M D PLUS M EVENTS AN OUR S E I IT ACTIV
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Fresh Newspaper
Campaigns Pullout Well-Being Week 2009: A Review
STICK ME ON YOUR ! WALL
Well Being Week provided the opportunity for students to take part in a whole variety of different activities and sessions, all of which were aimed at looking at ‘well being’ The week started off with the launch of ‘Grub Club’ which is a BBC Headroom initiative which looks at how healthy eating can positively affect mental health. For this event we put together a miniature Well Being Fair, where there were various stalls promoting different departments within the University which all look at some aspect of ‘well being’. We had Endsleigh (the student insurance company) RoeActive and Sports Roehampton, People and Planet, The Allotment Society as well as general RSU Welfare as part of the fair. We were also fortunate enough to have Gizzi Erskine from Channel 4’s ‘cook yourself thin’ come down to Roehampton to do a cooking demonstration where she made a meat and vegetarian green thai curry, as well as a summer berry cheesecake. We had a group of nearly thirty students come down to watch the demonstration, and even more come and try some of the food that Gizzi made, which was delicious. It really did demonstrate how quick and easy it is to make a healthy meal. It also provided students with the opportunity to sign up to the BBC Grub Club web page where they could order themselves a free goodie bag which includes a cook book, tea towel, chef hat and grub club top trumps. If you would like to sign up for a pack or to find out more information visit www. bbc.co.uk/headroom/grubclub The rest of the week carried on by exploring various different activities which looked at both mental and physical health, as well as other aspects of well being such a good finance. We linked up with a number of different departments and staff within the University such as our Health and Well Being Advisor, Stephen Messinger, and our Money Doctor, Nicky Reid. Natasha Blake (VP. Activities), RoeActive and Roehampton Sport also worked throughout the week to make sure we put on a whole range of physical activities to engage students into taking part in something new and from this we have seen that there was a general increase in the numbers of people taking part in various different Gym and ‘Give It A Go’ sessions. If anyone would like any more information on various well being activities/incentives that we will be continuing to do throughout the year the please email becky.aston@roehampton.ac.uk or natasha.blake@roehampton.ac.uk
Photos courtesy of Beth Cissel and Tessa Wiley
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S.H.A.G. Week 2009 S.H.A.G (sexual health and guidance) week was a chance to learn more about sexual health in general and to also take part in a number of activities that were suited to the week. Throughout the week we worked closely with the Wandsworth Primary Care Trust, and the outreach group ‘Metro Centre’ to do chlamydia screenings all week on all of the campuses. They also funded our ‘pee for a pod’ competition where everyone who took a chlamydia test got entered into a draw to win an IPod Shuffle (the winner of this was announced at the BOP). Throughout the week, everyone who got tested was also given loads of different freebies as well as being entered into this draw. Not only did we have ‘Metro Centre’ on and around campus for the whole week doing chlamydia screenings, but also they came in during the week to give a talk to students about general sexual health and the various different sexually transmitted infections that can be caught. It was a session that engaged the students, and demonstrated how easy it is to forget about how common various STI’s are. The Tuesday of the week was also World Aids Day in which we worked closely with Terrance Higgins Trust to do a range of events to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS. The day started off with a march through all of the campuses with 50 red balloons, selling red ribbons and raising money for Terrance Higgins Trust. We managed to raise over £70 for the charity, not only selling ribbons to students and staff, but also to members of the local community. The march was then finished off with a balloon release on Southlands. In the evening Froebel Bar hosted a ‘Get Your Knickers In A Twist’ party where students could again buy ribbons, find out random facts about HIV and AIDS, get free condoms and listen to the musical styling’s of Mr Gary Coates. On the Wednesday, to encourage people to come and take part in the screenings on campus, we advertised that the first 50 people to come to Whitelands bar who got tested would get free entry to Fez club. This was an extremely successful night and we managed to get over 50 people tested. At the Bop, as well as having the draw for ‘Pee for a Pod’, we also had our GI Jonny’s and Jane’s out in force giving out condoms throughout the night. Thank you very much to Alex Murray, Shane Dickson, Rochelle Harvey and Claire Fitzsimons for doing this.
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Help For Heroes This is a charity which provides practical and direct support for wounded members of the armed forces. Help For Heroes is a charity which was set up in 2007, and has received a lot of support from numerous celebrities, The Royal Family, the media and various other people who have helped make this an extremely successful charity which looks to raise nearly £1m each month. All money that is raised by the charity is used to help support wounded servicemen and women. All of the money that is raised is put towards various initiatives such as Headley Court, Combat Stress, Norton House, Battle Back, Troop Aid, Skill Force, Not Forgotten Association, Blesma and Launch Pad to Life to name a few. To find out more information about Help for Heroes and the work that they have already done please visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk Just a Drop Just a Drop is a charity which raises money to build wells, install boreholes and hand pumps, as well as carry out sanitation and health education programmes in some of the poorest parts of the developing world. Their mission is to reduce child mortality by delivering accessible clean water where it is most needed. To date they have helped over 1 million children and their families in 29 different countries. One of their biggest aims is to look at what work can be done to make maximum impact on the ground level by working with other charities, local partners and communities. Every year over 2.75 million people die as a result of water related diseases. The majority are children with over 1.4 million dying because of unsafe water. For more information on this charity and the work that they do please visit www.justadrop.org For more information on R.A.G. week please check the RSU website www. roehamptonstudent.com or to get involved in R.A.G. week email becky.aston@roehampton. ac.uk
Pudsey’s Big Night
If any one would like any more information about sexual health please email becky.aston@ roehampton.ac.uk or contact the Roehampton Clinic on 0208 487 6861 or visit www. roehamptonclinic.nhs.uk
Despite the recession, It was another successful year for Children In Need as the public rose to the occasion once again to raise over £20million for charity. Children In Need were celebrating their 30th appeal and proved to be a success as the star-packed event saw many stars and celebrities doing outrageous yet humorous activities, all in the name of charity.
R.A.G. Vote Results
As part of the behind-the-scenes crew, and from a firsthand experience, the atmosphere was both exciting and electric, from stars from EastEnders, x-factor finalists JLS to Alesha Dixon, and a dog dressed as Pudsey, the night was truly memorable. Former X-Factor contestant Chico said “we celebrities feed the mind, but the money that we raise feeds the souls of the children.” In a backstage interview with Strictly’s contestant Ricky Whittle he said “It’s amazing how much people are willing to help and give for a good cause.
R.A.G. (raising and giving) week is one of the biggest campaigns that we do each year, and every year we always seem to raise more and more money. This year we are hoping to carry on this tradition. It has now become tradition for R.A.G. week to be coordinated by a committee, this year made up of Agnetha Addison (the R.A.G. officer), Amber Larder (Treasurer), and Becky Aston (VP. Welfare & Campaigns). Since September we have been working hard to make sure that this year is bigger and better than ever. A key part of R.A.G. week is deciding on the charities that we are going to support. Because it is you guys who are going to be helping to support the charities the R.A.G. committee decided that it would be good to let students make suggestions as to which charities they would like us to raise money for. At Fresher’s Fair there was a R.A.G. stall where people could make charity suggestions, as well as sign up to get involved in R.A.G. week. Once this charities list had been put together we created a short list which students could vote for online. The voting took place between the 23rd and 27th of September. This year the charities that we will be supporting and raising money for are... Regenerate Regenerate is a charity which works in the local community with the aim of bringing hope to transform lives and communities. They work within various urban communities, such as Roehampton, where they focus on working with children, young people and their families. They work to provide the opportunity to empower people to make positive changes in their lives and the lives of others through their relationships and creative initiatives. Roehampton is one of the largest housing estates in Europe and this is one of the key areas that Regenerate work in, where it reaches hundred of people through its partnerships with churches and other local organisations. You may well be familiar with the big double decker bus which visits the Roehampton estate, as well as many other estates in South West London.
The British Public has shown great participation with cake sales and talent shows at school, sitting in a bath of baked beans, and children willingly giving up their pocket money for Children In Need. Expectations were exceeded this year as many worried about the recession affecting the cause, but the Appeal Night, which shows a culmination of fundraising activities for Children In Need, proved to be a success. Terry Wogan said “This year we surpassed all expectations with the amount raised and I am in awe that in these tough times, the British public has shown such tremendous support and generosity”. The total on the Appeal Night will continue to rise with events still happening around the UK. Angela Nyarko
Over the past month we’ve raised...
Since 2004 the charity has also worked on an initiative to take teams of young people from London estates over to Africa to support and initiate projects with street children. This project is known as ‘The Africa Impact’. For more information on this charity please visit www.regenerateuk.co.uk
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Fresh Newspaper
Wall of Fame/Shame
Photos courtesy of Kelsey Heng & Beth Cissel
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International Students celebrate Thanksgiving in Halls. The last Thursday of every November usually equates to a food-filled lazy day at home with an abundance of turkey, sparkling cider, apple pie, and falling asleep on the comfy leather couch while watching (American) football with your uncle. This year, however, turned out to be one of the most memorable Thanksgivings, and there was no couch or uncle included. Celebrating one of our favorite American holidays while abroad in London became a group effort to host a wonderful dinner party on campus, inviting Brits and Americans alike. The food was organized into different individuals providing different dishes, and a gigantic turkey made the list. Two bold kitchen adventurers took on the six-hour task of cooking the turkey that day, and everyone enjoyed the tasty aftermath of their tedious work. Twenty-five of us crammed into the ground level kitchen of Garden Court, sitting and chatting in the cozy environment of the lamp-lit room. Native American name tags were given out just for kicks, and a photo booth was set up in the hallway to fully capture those who attended. The majority of the night was spent with plate in hand, eating mashed potatoes and yams with marshmallows, and then refilling the plate when it was empty. A quick stretch break took place, and we impatiently broke out the seven pies that were brought, including numerous pumpkin pies and an authentic apple Danish dish. By this time around the Brits were a bit confused as to how we could all eat so much, and a few were hesitant to continue the eating phenomenon of mustering up more stomach room for dessert. Alas, they wisely found room to top off the night with delicious dessert. New friends were made, much food was eaten, and the night began to wind down when the tryptophan began to work its magic (the chemical in turkey that makes you sleepy). This years Thanksgiving did not take place at home, no family in sight or blood relatives to be found. However, it was a reminder that living here for the past three months we have made good friends who make wonderful substitute families.
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When I was invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with my friend Matt Candau, I must admit that I was very suspicious! First of all, the person who was in charge of the bird is not one of the best cooks in the world; I’ve heard he doesn’t even know how to cook rice! Secondly, half the rugby team was there, and I was a bit scared to launch myself into any serious conversations with these boys in fear of being tackled to the ground and them shaving my hair off. Luckily, it all went rather smoothly! The 30lb turkey was under Matt’s supervision for 10 hours in that oven, and oh, my... it was PERFECT! I tell you, if you want a chef for Christmas dinner; ask Matt! Me and my flat mate Laura made the exquisite mash (after calling my mum of course for the recipe because that’s what mum’s are for), there were vegetables, mac’n’cheese, gravy, JUNGLE JUICE and a lot of fun! Just for the record; Jungle Juice is dangerous! There were approximately 20 of us eating of that bird, and I tell you, not much was left after an hour! We continued the evening with charades. Who would known how much fun it would be seeing 15 rugby players mime Madonna and the Eiffel Tower to name a few? By 7pm, the stomach was full on food and the head was intoxicated by the alcohol. But it didn’t stop there. By the time I got back from the toilet, the drinking games were on! With no other than James Porter being the head of drinking games, we were all in for a treat. I’m not going to go into any details, but I don’t think I’ll ever flip a coin or drink out of a bucket again! Then my worst nightmare showed its teeth in the kitchen; Matt’s shaving machine! I thought I was going to go around bald for the next year! Luckily for me and Laura, all that happened was that the rugby boys took their shirts off and got their heads shaved in different patterns by bird watcher Matt. I must admit, me and Laura did enjoy this bit far more than the drinking out of the bucket- game. After a long shaving session and a little bit of throwing around mash, Henry the Hoover stepped up to the plate and did his job before we all went down to Band’s Night in the Belfry to keep on celebrating Thanksgiving 2009. Thank you for a lovely and very interesting night to all of you who were there for my first ever Thanksgiving. Ingrid Domås
The night was a reminder that it does not necessarily matter where you are when you celebrate, but it is about whom you are with—Thanksgiving in London was a night we shall never forget. Beth Cissel
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Societies
The End Is(n’t) Nigh! So we’re in our last few weeks of term leading up to Christmas and I expect most of you (like me) are wondering where all the time has disappeared too. Hopefully your first semester in/ running societies has been as much fun as mine has but remember the work doesn’t end here! Re-fresher’s week is practically straight after we get back and it’s a great way to get involved with societies or recruit new members! The Christmas break is a great time to organize events for next term with your committee, as life only gets busier when we get back. For those wanting to join a society the beginning of next term is really a great time to do it. Re-fresher’s week is a great time to join up with a society as you can see what they’ve been doing so far and see if it’s for you! Also if you signed up at the beginning of the year but only went once or twice it’s a good time to start coming back to a society. Remember all the societies at Roehampton have their contact details on the RSU web site, just click on the societies link in at the side. If there is a society you’d like to start up don’t be afraid to contact either me or Natasha Blake (VP activities) and we’ll do our best to help! Hopefully everyone has had a great first time, partied hard, made some great friends (and possibly done some work) societies are a great way to meet new people and socialize with people who may have the same interests as you. Hope to see you all at Re-Fresher’s fair
Luke Springett Societies President
Roehampton hosts its very first Volunteering fair! I am very much obliged to say that in collaboration with our re-fresher’s fair on January 15th 2010 we will be holding our first volunteering fair. I have teamed up with the student services and Wandsworth volunteer bureau to bring you sixteen organisations that specifically want to recruit Roehampton university students and give you a vast range of opportunities. The fair will start from 10am and finish at 3pm; this will be a great opportunity for you to get more information about volunteering and the benefits it can give to you and others. We live in a time where having a degree just isn’t worth much in the work environment any more, most employers are looking for people who have a variety of skills in all different fields.
Well another month has gone by and the societies at Roehampton are still encouraging students and staff to get involved with their events, lectures, projects, socials…the list goes on. There is still a potential in pushing for advertisement and all the elements are there, get a blog or ad in the newspaper, use our reception photocopy machine to create leaflets and posters, get a ad on the podcast, send us video link and pictures of events you put on. Use networking sights, collaborate with our societies, and see how other university societies work. There are plenty of elements to creating a perfect society, we all have to start somewhere, remember your not in this alone, Luke Springett (societies president) and myself are here to help you. We can give you advice and help you develop a society especially if it’s new. If you want to join a society please get in contact with them, go on the societies page on the RSU website to find contact details.
Societies of the Month: Time for a little appreciation of some of the societies who are doing well this month! Christian Union: a society that keeps on growing each year, through participants and engagement through Film Society: This society started last year and has developed into a coherent group that puts on different film showings each week, they have collaborated with the SU in competitions as well as other societies to engage in different topics in relation to film. People and Planet: focus on climate camp and Wave Project and their determination to tackle environmental issues on campus as well as off. Writing Society: a new society that gathers students together in participation of showing their writing skills and having a big impact on the alternative paper ‘Canvas’ which had a successful re-launch party on Saturday 6th November. St John’s Ambulance (LINKS): for providing students and staff with information about first aid and safety, with weekly sessions and response at our events.
The fair will be a chance for you to get an understanding of how important volunteering is and how it can change lives from all different backgrounds. We have an opportunity here to develop volunteering within our university and how we can make sure it continues to grow for years to come.
Well done to these societies and many others who are doing the best they can to ensure the sustainability of their society continues throughout the year. If you’re a 1st or second year thinking of continuing a society as a committee member or starting up a new one, please get in contact with me.
Your futures in your hands, for many others it’s not so clear and much harder to catch. Hope to see you all on the 15th January.
Remember societies are smaller communities that bring us together in a variety of ways. Natasha Blake
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Fresh Newspaper
Music The Sly-Tones - The Sly-Tones (Unsigned)
Interview: Black Bikini Alpha
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Cabaret has, in recent times, become a bit of a dirty word. Blame Dita Von Teese; suddenly a performance tradition that has arguably been around since the early 18th Century is now accessible to all who can afford entry-level Anne Summers’ nipple tassles. It is, then, quite refreshing to see a band embrace the macabre, eery side of this hallowed art form. The Sly-Tones, dressed in Shoreditch smoking apparel and sporting facepaint that’s half Norweigan black metal, half Insane Clown Posse jugallo, are not afraid to wear their influences proudly on their cuffs, and this, their first major E.P, is promising in both it’s execution and its confidence. Lead singer Ashley Edwards is best described as Tom Wait’s with less of a nicotine dependency, a growl that would sound awful normally but coupled with the atmospheric, carnival of horrors accompaniment channels all of the madness and horror of cabaret and acts such as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Lord Sutch. This potent delivery is most superbly showcased on final track ‘Shake The Cage’, where the whole tone becomes far more sinister, channeling that most important of musical influences, mental illness. The angular, erratic guitars crash beautifully into honky-tonk piano, washing the listener in a sea of crushed velvet, sharp leather and opium smoke. What’s perhaps most astounding with this band is that, unlike much music, they are not following a current or vastly popular trend in modern music; the only two bands I can think of who are in anyway similar are the Dresden Dolls and Darling’s Cabinet Of Sundry Horrors, neither of whom have gained that significant an audience in Europe. Songs such as ‘Run Rabbit Run’ and ‘Silver Harpoons’ show that the Sly-Tones are as much substance as they are style, and now that the Horrors have departed to fulfill longstanding shoegaze fantasies, the Sly-Tones might well be the next band to bring the spectacle and the macabre into the modern musical climate. Ed Eames
Biffy Clyro - Only Revolutions (14th Floor/Roadrunner)
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Biffy Clyro are a band that have been going for many years, and have mostly gone unnoticed in the British music scene. After the 2007 release Puzzle, people finally seemed to take notice of the Scottish rockers. Now with new release Only Revolutions Biffy have come into their own. Already hitting the UK charts with singles ’Mountains’ and ‘That Golden Rule’. The band are starting to gain a bigger and bolder reputation. The album is a piece of genius on the part of Biffy. They have combined catchy lyrics, technical guitar riffs and kept their original rock roots. This formula has lead to Biffy’s most successful album to date. Only Revolutions may not be an album that is going to stand out of your music collection, but it will defiantly be an album that you will constantly listen to. Biffy have managed to make a rock album that you can just have as background music, yet still appreciate how good the album is. Not many bands can get away with putting heavy and melodic rock together, and the music be widely accepted. This is exactly what Biffy have done. They have made songs which can be accessible to everyone. People may just know this album because of the single which have been released from it, but there are some amazing songs on this album. ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Shock Shock’ being two of the tracks that really do show how talented Biffy are. As far as rock albums in the modern music scene go this is defiantly one of the better releases which has broken into the UK charts
Before the interviews with the bands I was nervous. Trying to get through to ‘cool’ bands is like trying to staple jelly to ceiling. But once I entered the musically cluttered room which many would describe as an artistic mess I felt calm and collected. The bands were throwing beers my way from every direction which eventually got me completely off my tits. This was a good thing. Black Bikini Alpha is a three piece which was a breakaway from their original 5-piece state. “The other guy’s leaving was horrible at the time, we all had to think seriously about our career choices, but us three took the band as it was by the horns and made it what it is now. This is one of our biggest achievements I think as well as Darren buying the whole crowd a drink – there were three people, and that was just so they’d stay to watch us!” This was the ‘serious’ question out of the way, I didn’t want to take the whole interview seriously because bands don’t often like that. So I prepared a few questions which were open for interpretation – if the band was fun and had a bit of character, so would the answers they provided. Black Bikini Alpha is a state of terrorist alert in the UK and they got their name from this as the state of their position in that particular time which the name was chosen. The main attributes to the band are Owen, the singer-songwriter, guitar and electronic player, was the geek of the trio and Darren who referred to himself as the Gok Wan of the band who plays bass, sings and keyboard took control of answering the questions, besides I couldn’t remember for the life of me the name of the drummer as I was far too pissed. They told me of a few tales about from when they continued the legacy of BBA as a three piece to where they are now including the time that some crazily-obsessed fan claimed to be a band manager arranged a series of 13 gigs over in New York and bought tickets for her and the band to go. It turned out that the schizophrenic maniac, who was pretending to be a number of characters in order to make her story legitimate, only managed to get the guys 2 gigs in two weeks. After realising that this nutter was a phoney and a fake, they thought they could approach the tour in New York in two ways, a massive piss-up for two weeks in the states or knuckle down and get their name out. They did the latter, and the tour eventually consisted of an astonishing fourteen gigs in fifteen days. I managed to get control of the interview back to Earth after we conversed for a while about how many weirdoes there are by asking them a question which generated a much thought-provoked answers. ‘If you could have anyone in the band dead or alive, who would you choose?’ Black Bikini Alpha pondered for a while, explaining to me that this would be a question they’d be debating up and down numerous motorways for weeks to come, but among the usual suspects such as John Lennon and Jeff Buckley, as the ‘would challenge our thoughts as a band’, surprisingly, but very understandable Madonna was chosen. “She’s an example of someone who can come and produce tracks in every decade and churn out hits after hits with a new look that suits the time.” said Darren incredibly philosophically. I couldn’t argue with that.The band produces their music in a variety of ways but most of their songs come from a tune that Owen thinks about while having a poo or having far too much to drink.The band have been doing well, and have won awards for best dance track for the Kicking and Screaming Remix by Station X and also best indie trackfor the original version, you can also buy their album and singles, including their new single Nightmare on iTunes. To check more of their stuff go to www.myspace.com/ blackbikinialpha Also check out the young and boisterous band OK, whose interview was taken about as seriously as a barbershop on the stairway up to the guillotine at www.telltheworldok.com
Tim Birkbeck
Top Artists: 1. Interpol 2. The xx 3. The Mars Volta 4. Bloc Party 5. Blink 182 6. Beirut 7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs 8. Deftones 9. Animal Collective 10. Radiohead
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Our Christmas number one.
Top Tracks: 1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Runaway 2. Maps - You Don’t Know Her Name 3. Bon Iver - Creature Fear 4. Miike Snow - Plastic Jungle 5. The xx - Islands 6. Beirut - Nantes 7. Weezer- Smile 8. Interpol - Evil 9. Cypress Hill - Insane In The Brain 10. Bloc Party - So Here We Are
Sam Kirby
In every issue, we pair up with Banquet Records in Kingston to bring you their favourite albums of the month gone by, according to their in house staff! Here’s how October looked...
Jon’s Record... Say Anything - Say Anything Mike’s Record... Greg Wilson Credit To The Edit Vol. 2 Dave’s Record... Gay For Johnny Depp Manthology
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Jane’s Record... Cantebury Thank You Aaron’s Record... Four TetLove Cry/Our Bells Milly’s Record... Kurran And The Wolfnotes Whatabitch Pier’s Record... Consequence Live Forever
Tom’s Record... Weezer Raditude Ollie’s Record... Local Natives Gorilla Manoe Harry’s Record... Biffy Clyro Only Revolutions Adam’s Record... Them Crooked Vultures Them Crooked Vultures
Sean’s Record... The Skints Live, Breathe, Build, Believe
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Books Think Outside The Present Christmas is coming, yay! But sadly this of all holy holidays has just become another marketing ploy; we all know it and we all (myself included) shamefully take part in it. Despite this even the most cynical love the giving and receiving of gifts, and when it comes to those gifts, books are usually up there next to DVD’s, CD’s and socks in the clichéd gift ideas. There’s no harm in buying any of the above, all I ask is you avoid the big displays in WHSmiths, and don’t get trapped into thinking ‘oh my Dad will love that F1 driver’s autobiography’, or ‘Mum loves that chef on T.V’, because quite frankly they don’t give two Christmas puds about them. How do I know? Because I see those very same books sobbing on the dusty top shelf in my home. Why not instead, give them some stimulating? Something that might spark at interest and lead to who knows what. For Dad: Dad’s come in all shapes and sizes, but share one thing in common. They’ve all worked bloody hard so that we have the luxury of sitting round reading books. It could be they haven’t had the time to sit down and ponder on Yeat’s, flick the pages of Toilken or enjoy Welsh.
The Sign of Four Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Published: 1890 Dad’s love to enact their own brand of justice, and are keen on solving puzzles. Making ‘The Sign of Four’ perfect. This is Author Arthur Conan Doyle’s 2nd of 56 novels featuring the fictional and infamous character, Sherlock Holmes. We all know the hat wearing, pipe smoking detective, but it’s only through reading about him can you open up new dimensions of the character-such as the fact he was a cocaine user-and realise in our own minds why he is such a popular icon. ‘The Sign of Four’ may lack the popularity of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (1901), but is fascinating in the way that, for the first time, we see Holmes as just a man, and not some emotionless, crime-solving machine. I feel this appeals to Dads, as it taps into that little niggling quest for knowledge, that thing that makes great things great. From those who are interested in the EGR valve in a car engine, or why their neighbour’s tree is taller than theirs, to have Doyle map out for us Holmes’ reflections and theories on the crime is nourishing and enjoyable for Dads who needs some R and R, just make sure he phones the police if he witnesses a crime. If he liked this, try: ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ (1901) Arthur Conan Doyle For Mum: Mum’s cook, clean and work all day, everyday. Why would they want cookbook that gives them ideas to cook even more? (Usually for our greedy gobs), why not give them something long and stimulating, so they are forced to sit down and relax for once.
The Joy Luck Club Author: Amy Tan Published: 1989 Amy Tan (1952- ) is a widely celebrated Chinese-American novelist. Her novel, ‘The Joy Luck Club’ is full of rich and diverse characters, who reveal their remarkable stories over a game of Mahjong. At the table are four Mothers and four Daughters and the novel is divided into four chapters. The significance of the number is that it is unlucky in Chinese culture, symbolising death. Each of the four chapters mixes vignettes from both the generations, exploring the Mother/Daughter relationship, the Mothers revealing their struggles in the past, and understanding their Daughter’s issues now. Tan utilises the power of story telling as a way in which the new generation can understand their heritage and ethnicity, and it is through the beauty of Tan’s writing that we see this book, although full of Chinese cultural illusions, as an accessible and universal portrayal of the character’s hate and happiness, and the difficult choices Mother’s have to make. If she liked this, try: ‘The Penelopiad’ (2005) Margaret Atwood For everyone and anyone:
Anthropology: 101 true love stories Author: Dan Rhodes Published: 2005 101 stories, each 101 words. Conception at it’s best, author Dan Rhodes takes on an ambitious project which is very limiting in it’s subject matter and form, to create short tales of love and relationships which are either heart-warming, dark or funny, or all of the fore mentioned. Each one word titled story offers an anecdote of love, from the wildly funny ‘Pieces’, in which the narrator wonders why his kidnapped girlfriend’s ransom isn’t less, ‘They seem to think I’d pay as much for a girlfriend with no thumbs, ears, nose or nipples as I would for one with all her bits still there’, and the dark humoured ‘Faithful’, where he swears to ‘remain faithful to her memory’ and snogs another woman at the funeral. After finishing the collection you
realise how there is no development of the ‘I’, which is disappointing as yourself as a reader really want to know this man who has loved 101 women, and how he gets himself into these situations. But what you have to remember is the stories are not autobiographical, and Rhodes successfully taps into the consciousness of love and lovers with the message that love can triumph over everything, except reality. Each story takes around one minutes to read, and is great for anyone who has ever loved, and doesn’t have the time to sit down and read novels. ‘Anthropology’ knocks any ‘100 things I want to say to my boss’ book you find on display in terms of humour, and is hugely uplifting, and can be found for as little as £1 on the internet. If they liked this, try ‘Gold’ (2007) Dan Rhodes These are all just suggestions, and everyone is different, but I hope you will try and think of something interesting this Christmas rather than what the adverts suggest, and use it as an excuse to share pieces of great Literature. Merry Christmas! Chris Davis
(The Lack of) Originality in Modern Literature When did we sacrifice literature for entertainment? Was it before or after Hollywood and the record labels sold their souls and began to churn out mindless, meaningless rubbish? All too often, we find that new novels are constructed by formula. Today, if we pay a visit to our local library, it can be a challenge to find a genuine work of literature. To find Dickens and Shakespeare, we must walk past shelves of ghost-written autobiographies and Barbara Cartland novels. The library used to be the safe haven of the intellectual, but the intellectual is a dying breed. Our society demands Dan Brown, James Patterson and, (God forbid!), Katie Price. Reading, once reserved for the middle and upper classes, is now an activity for the masses. Serial behemoths, such as Harry Potter and Stephanie Mayer’s Twilight, have introduced children across the globe to the wonders of the written word. But what is the point, if they spend the rest of their lives reading the drivel that pollutes the list of bestsellers? It is important for readers to open up to classical literature, before the writers of the future give in to laziness and routine. Why bother with experimentation when you can sell the same story, over and over again? Literature has always been about originality. Let us compare it to music – great literature is a vehicle for expression. There’s a difference between Bob Dylan and Beyoncé, and there’s a difference between Joseph Conrad and Dan Brown. Why bother reading a novel that was written to entertain the masses? Good fiction should push the established boundaries, not settle safely in the middle. The brilliant writers of the past have been forgotten, and the best of our generation are overshadowed. We live in an age where trends are worshipped like religion, and libraries are full of books without souls. Literature has evolved in to a popularity contest, and it’s difficult to tell who is winning. The problem with repeating the same formula for fiction is clear to anybody with a love of the written word – it’s easy to get halfway through a crime novel before you realise that you’ve already read it, (or so we’re told). Try doing that with Oliver Twist, or On the Road. For a good writer, words flow like water; our store of literature is in danger of stagnation. It’s easy to say that there’s a finite number of plots, but plots are like stars. We discover new ones daily, and we’ll never give names to them all. Too many writers are taking the easy option and pointing their telescopes towards the sun, blinding themselves to the possibility of a new creation. They say that everybody has a novel inside them, but most have already been written. The fast-paced bestsellers that we see in airports and supermarkets are full of complications and derelict of character development. They’re called ‘page-turners’ for a reason – we skim through them to find out what happens, and we’re at the end before we know it. If literature is music, then reading the trash that lines the bookshelves of the masses is like listening to the Sugar-babes. Pleasing to the eye or the ear, but there’s no substance. Ever been moved to tears by Leona Lewis, marched for peace with Lady Gaga, or found comfort in The Pet Shop Boys? In literature, like in music and film, there’s a difference between the writers that write for pleasure and those that write for money and fame. Katie Price, (A.K.A. Jordan), released her first novel in 2006, after flashing her breasts in newspapers across the country. Before long, she confessed that she played no part in its creation. Dan Brown creates interesting plots, full of intrigue and suspense, and they bring out the conspiracy theorist in all of us. Unfortunately, his writing lets him down – ‘’The Knights Templar were warriors,’ Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminium crutches echoing in this reverberant space. ’ Is he a novelist, or is he a screenwriter that’s working with the wrong medium? We’re not saying that all modern literature is worthless – just that the inventive and unique is overshadowed by the cheaply printed, mass-market paperbacks that, metaphorically speaking, belong on pirate DVDs and nightclub sound-systems. If this is the direction that modern literature is taking, we want no part of it. Dane John Cobain & Matthew Turner
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Fresh Newspaper
Fashion Festive Fashion Christmas is slowly crawling around the corner, and as students we love doing anything but work. The procrastination begins with discussing your secret Santa plans, obviously price limit being a fiver (as were all such generous friends). The next stage is convincing yourself that decorating your flat will be a much better idea then your 2500 word essay on someone….who did something...? Your flat obviously will be decorated with the most tack in mind, and we can only thank Poundland for that. The third and final stage, and nonetheless the most important is Christmas shopping! Now you’ve organised a massive list of who you’re going to buy for: Your Grandma, your mum’s cousin once removed (who you’ve never actually met) and your favourite mates. Yet somehow the overdose of that Christmas buzz has left you delirious and you start shopping for yourself. Let’s face it we all need a new outfit for Roehampton’s various Christmas events; from Bops to the Christmas dinner. Plus a new wardrobe is a must have to impress your chums back home. So when selfishly selecting what you’re going to buy this Christmas think like a fashionista and pimp out your wardrobe with a perfect party ensemble. For ladies you can’t go wrong with the classic LBD (Little Black Dress for all those non abbreviators). But the trick is to glam up this simple statement dress, by thinking about the fabric and style. Velvet is making winter hot this season, so if you see something soft my tip is to buy, buy, buy! What’s still striking a pose on the catwalks and fashion magazines are shoulder pads. I know I’ve mentioned them before and yes, you may feel a little silly, but you will look totally fabulous compared to your non-shoulder pad wearing friends. To top the look, is a girls must - a pair of killer heels. Footwear covered in studs, laces and zips are all very Vogue right now, and will add a little edge to your Christmas combo plus will lengthen your legs to make that LBD look extra flattering. Now boys to get the attention of that special lady under the mistletoe (or any lady in Roe’s boy’s case) you need to be a ‘Dapper Dan’. Sharp suits are all over the show this season, don’t go all 007 on us, but make the extra effort at that Christmas do. Shirts buttoned to the top, with tailored skinny trousers or jeans will make you look extra special. When thinking footwear put your best foot forward, as H&M now do Jimmy Choo; which equals affordable designer prices. Or if you want to put the booted into suited then grunge down your outfit with those military boots everyone’s wearing. Check out ASOS, Topshop and River Island for those high street prices. To complete the outfit wear a trench coat, inspired by Burberrys traditional Englishness these coats are everywhere. Neutral or black colours work best and will go with most. Yet try to purchase one with a patterned lining so when the coat is open people can see your taste for style. Now that your party outfits are planned, you will be need something cosy for those hungover days… So to complete the wonderfulness that is winter, we must wave hello to the knitted jumper and welcome it with open arms. Knitwear is an essential everyday item to keep you both warm and trendy. For the ladies, oversized knits are where it’s at; hanging off your shoulders and accessorising with a waist belt will make you look effortlessly great. But be careful that it doesn’t make you look frumpy; always get a friends opinion when it comes to wool. For both guys and dolls novelty Christmas jumpers are hitting shops hard. Suddenly that reindeer jumper your Grandad got you last crimbo isn’t looking to bad. But there’s no need to spend retail prices, check out charity shops, eBay or your grandparents wardrobe for some hidden, woollen treasures. My top tip: This Christmas and New Year give yourself the X Factor by accessorising any outfit with a faux fur scarf or hat; feathers are flapping around all the shops too. When it comes to make-up forget about the lippy, its all about big eyes and so fake eyelashes are a must, in fact - the bigger the better.
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My Top Buy for the Christmas stocking: The September Issue Anna Wintour and the making of Vogue By R.J.Cutler This film is the documentary version of the ‘Devil Wears Prada’; the viewer is able to see what goes on behind Vogue’s closed doors and why the magazine is considered to be the Bible for the fashion industry. Georgia Day
The big two nights: What to wear? How to stay stylish for the festive season(just for girls) Christmas is just around the corner and don’t we just love this merry season ? Filled with happiness, gifts, Christmas puddings, etc… However, you may be struggling to find what to wear for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But fear not, my friend, for I have some helpful tips – and they’re perfect for a students budget! Christmas. Is a tricky one. You want to look good but not if you’re overdressed then your parents/grandparents/financially helping relatives may think you don’t need that cheque after all, as you apparently can afford amazing outfits. So, low profile it is; an example could be a skirt teamed with a blouse. I would recommend a sweet, romantic blouse, that you can tuck inside the skirt:
Frilly blouse: Topshop, £32 Embroided Skirt: Topshop, £38 Black Suede flats: Dorothy Perkins, £22
It may seem obvious, but make sure the skirt is not too tight, otherwise you are going to regret that extra slice of Christmas pudding by the end of the day. Looking good is important, but being able to breathe is even more important. With shoes, you may or may not want to wear heels. In either case, the shoes need to be like the rest of your outfit: classic yet a bit festive. How about these suede flats above..? Don’t forget to add jewellery. A cute pearl necklace works well. Now you’re looking good and you’re in for a stylish Christmas I hope you’ll get what you asked for! New Year’s Eve It’s important to be at your best for Christmas, but after all, you are most likely to be with the people who’ve known you forever. New Year’s Eve is a lot different; you are going to spend it with your friends, your current/potential boyfriend and you definitely don’t want to start another year looking terrible, do you? Firstly let’s start with the shoes: depending on where you will spend the evening, it’s a crucial decision. If you spend it at someone’s place, you can wear anything you want, as you can change into flats.
Heels: Dorothy Perkins, £30 Sparkle Dress: New Look, £12 Bag: New Look, £5
However, if you go out clubbing, you’d better not wear your highest heels, unless you want to be crying by midnight. These seem like a good compromise: with a heel, but totally practical... Now we’ve sorted the shoes, let’s find a lovely party dress, shall we? This piece from New Look is a perfect party dress! And the girl looks so happy, this dress will most likely make you have a good night! Finally, here’s a statement bag for you, and now you can party in style! The only thing left for me to do is to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! Iris Boudier
Fashion Blogs: The New Fashion Magazine? I’ve noticed more and more how popular online blog sites have become; Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and YouTube. But sites like Blogger have become popular because they’re free to use and members are able to upload anything that takes their interest – often their hobby. I caught up with some of the world’s most dedicated fashion bloggers to find out what inspires them. Hannah Rose, a 19 year old student on a gap year wants to be a stylist and hopes the fashion blog she started earlier in the year, can get her there in the future. She plans on studying fashion at university next year but for now is too busy being part of the funky London Rose team. “All the attention from the blog has definitely helped me to ‘exaggerate’ and develop my personal style with confidence. I’m a sucker for a bargain and I only own one designer item which is a vintage Christian Dior blazer that I won on eBay. I adore the high street, especially shops like Topshop and H&M, but love to hunt down quirky vintage shops and charity shops. I’ll find a few hidden gems, take them home, and alter them Gok Wan style – this way I know that what I’m wearing is completely exclusive. I think this helps me to stand out from the crowd. I can be glam grunge one day and then boho the next. Right now I love wearing biker and lace up boots and I LOVE brogues – but I hardly ever wear heels. My favourite A/W trends are faux fur, velvet, exaggerated shoulders, sequins and lace. As well as other fashion bloggers I get my inspiration from Kate Moss, Mary Kate Olsen, Miroslava Duma, Peaches Geldof, Zoe Kravitz, Jameela Jamil, Vanessa Trania, Daisy Lowe and Nicole Richie – they always look incredible. I was invited to spend the day filming with Jameela Jamil for ‘The Closet’, which was absolutely amazing. I was able to take my two best friends and I styled Jameela in loads of cute vintage outfits. She loved the looks I picked out for her which was a huge compliment coming from her. We spent the day laughing at her prancing around the vintage shop in crazy outfits (like a pink spotted bodysuit and giant owl hat) and she told us all about her life before and after T4. When the day was over she wished me luck and said she knew I’d make it as a stylist. I feel fashion is self expression aimed to fill people with confidence. It’s fun to be creative and risky with your style. Fashion is not to be followed, but to be inspired by. I’m determined to make my mark in the fashion industry! I’m full of ambition and drive. My friends and family love my blog and are really proud of what I’ve achieved - especially Sam; my best friend, as she gets to come to all the events I’m invited to! My style tips are to mix vintage and high street together because it’s like having a little piece of fashion history mixed with a current trend to give your outfit a distinctive look”. You can find Hannah’s blog on www.london--rose.blogspot.com. You can also watch her on The Closet on www.bebo.com/thecloset and on www. youtube.com/NewLookTV. Adrian Cano is a 20 year old English, Drama, Film and American Studies student originally from Spain but currently living in Brighton. He actually only started his blog a few months ago due to boredom but it has now become one of his passions. “My mum used to design and make her own clothes as well as mine and my sisters so I guess that is where my passion started. In school people would look at me differently because I didn’t dress the way they did. But now my style is looked at in a positive way and that has given me more confidence
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– although sometimes when people stare, I worry that I went out with the label still attached to my top or that my flies are undone! I think it’s better to have a huge amount of second hand clothes than to have only a few designer pieces, so I’m definitely a sucker for a bargain. I love raiding through my grandfather’s closet and I get my inspiration from music, people I see on the street and fashion shows as well as celebrities such as Mark Ronson, Dan Gillespie and Vinila von Bismark. Fashion is definitely an art – style is how you perceive this work of art. My style right now is pretty much a mixture between classic, elegant and vintage. I really love skinny jeans, blazers and hats, and on girls I like vintage dresses and headpieces. My blog has opened doors for me as I’ve been invited to Madrid Cibeles Fashion Week and most recently got invited to a fashion event in Argentina. My fashion tip is to wear your clothes instead of letting your clothes wear you. You can find Adrian’s blog on www.itsadriancano.blogspot.com
Bloggers(L-R): Hannah Rose, Adriano Cano & Cindy van der Heyden
24 year old Cindy van der Heyden lives in the Netherlands and works for a Film Distribution Company. She started her blog in April of this year after a friend showed her a blog. She liked the idea of having her own space to do whatever she wanted and to share fashion and style ideas with other girls around the world. “The response I have received from my blog is crazy especially since the people around me don’t really make a fuss about my style... It’s made me more eager to get the most out of my outfits and to experiment more. I wish I had the money to be a designer junkie but I’m more the type of person who buys only what I need and whatever I have on my ‘wish list’, but I never buy something just because it’s on sale or really cheap. Lately I’ve been rocking the whole leather and studs look. I love the edgy vibe leather jackets give and I’m trying to wear my leather trousers as much as I can. I get inspired by other fashion bloggers and I like the style of Lindsay Lohan, Taylor Momsen, Olivia Palermo and Ashley Tisdale. Style is much more important than fashion; it’s who you are. No matter what the fashion is you should always stay true to your own personal style and mix it with current trends. I’ve always been a fashion and clothes addict and hope one day to start an online shop but we’ll just have to see where life takes me. You can find Cindy’s blog on www.comeovertothedarksidewehavecandy. blogspot.com Precious Nwufo
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Fresh Newspaper
Films New Moon Directed by Chris Weitz This film has had such a buzz about it for most of the year. Many critics have said this is a ‘must see’, and I have to agree! The movie is based on the International bestseller by Stephanie Meyer and is the sequel to the 2008’s Twilight.
applause at the end, which I must admit was unusual. Is that the new craze? New Moon also has an amazing soundtrack, songs ranging from Muse, Thom Yorke, The Killers and Bon Iver.
A Christmas Carol
I love the books and I’m glad the films aren’t inadequate. If you are enjoy the film, then I recommend you read the books! On the up side there are still two more films to come out.
A film adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has been re made by Robert Zemeckis. Jim Carey has taken on nine different roles in this film, including the one of Ebenezer Scrooge.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is out Summer 2010 Nyha Pasha
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
The film has been produced in 3-D. If you get the chance to see it in 3-D then you really should! We all know the story of Christmas Carol, the ghosts of Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future.
The movie follows on from Twilight with Bella Swan madly in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen. Edward realises he is putting Bella in danger and leaves town. His departure causes Bella to go into depression for a good few months whilst dealing with her heartbreak.
The film is amazing visually and the director sticks to the story. Some critics are doubting Jim Careys work in this film. However I think he has done a very good job of taking on some many different roles. This an all rounder a film and is worth a watch even if its such for the animation.
Bella picks herself up with the help of her friend, Jacob Black. He tries to comfort her and move on, plus he has a huge crush on her. However Jacob has a secret of his own which he tries to keep from Bella.
Nyha Pasha
When it comes down to it, what will Bella choose? Her love for Edward or her friendship with Jacob. There is only one question, and that is ‘Team Edward’ or Team Jacob’? Who knew that that this would cause such uproar. I know what team I’m on. Fans of the book will not be disappointed, the movie pretty much sticks to the story and the actors portray the characters well. This film is well worth seeing even if you aren’t a fan you can easily get caught up in the hype of this film. This is the first time that I’ve seen a film receive an
Holy Mountain (1973, Alejandro Jodorowsky) If you are unfamiliar with the works of Jodorowsky, then I’m afraid cannot provide you with any words or explanations powerful enough to illustrate the moving images created by this auteur. No one knows what deep and darkened thoughts lurk inside the mind of Alejandro Jodorowsky, however, his films are a medium that can open up and explain a few things about this mystical man.
CLASSIC REVIEW
I
The Holy Mountain is arguably Jodorowsky’s best film and the original trailer tells how, “nothing in your education or your experience can have prepared you for this film”. This statement is entirely true. Any preconception or idea you may have surrounding this film will be reduced to a mere passing thought after Holy Mountain: Cult Classic several minutes of watching this masterpiece. You will be taken on a magical journey into a whole new world. And as cliché as it sounds, it is a world you could never have imagined. The story begins with a character whose appearance is reminiscent of Jesus Christ, and becomes befriended by a partially limbed dwarf. They then roam through a weird and ruinous land filled with obscurity and mystery. Signs and symbols throughout religion and history fill up the on screen imagery. The Christ-like protagonist then meets an alchemist (played by Alejandro Jodorowsky himself) who turns his shit to gold then offers to do the same for his soul. The alchemist then introduces him to seven people signifying seven different planets; each of them with a story to tell. All though these scenes may seem random and weird to some viewers, there is much philosophy and thought behind The Holy Mountain’s storyline. For example, the seven people/planets represent evil obtained by ‘people in power’. As a further example, one of the planets sells drugs to the innocent which subsequently turns them into killers. This is reminiscent to the real life LSD experiments on U.S troops. All these planets are shown as a negative and can apply to the real world. Jodorowsky, represents them as thieves amidst modern times, however, the alchemist offers to clean their souls along with the main protagonist. The film is philosophical in its study of reality and immortality and Jodorowsky finishes in a completely innovative yet necessary way. I won’t ruin it for anyone who is yet to see it but it encourages us, as the spectator, to choose our own destiny as the film experience is limited and “real life awaits us”. Well, this has been my opinion on the film and I am sure there are others who have different views about it but I think that’s what makes this film so great. No one is going to completely ‘get’ the film as some of it is surreal and cannot be related to reality but everyone can learn from it and take away something different. I encourage everyone to watch this philosophical, psychedelic, surrealist film. Jonny Green
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Live and Local Spotlight On: Mr Gee Once a nightclub DJ, Mr Gee turned to poetry when he found that music was no longer addressing social issues that he felt to be important. He has been performing poetry since 2002, and has worked alongside names such as Benjamin Zephaniah and Pete Docherty. Even more impressively, he was a co-presenter and ‘Poet Laureate’ of Russell Brand’s BBC Radio Show, and supported the comedian on his 2009 ‘Scandalous’ tour. Ruth Price found out more... How did you start writing and performing poetry? I used to DJ in bars and nightclubs for years and never go near the microphone. Then one day, my DJ crew were approached to put on a special event so that this guy could propose to his girlfriend. We decided to put on a one-off poetry night where we would all read out our little poems and the final performance would end with the proposal. The night was a success, the girl said yes and the crowd said that they enjoyed the recitals. Why did you choose to get into it? I see myself as a part of a wave of “New Millennium Poets”. After 9/11 and the general panic that ensued afterwards, I found that I was looking for something that could address the simmering paranoia that was everywhere. Mainstream comedy wasn’t touching the subject and music seemed to carry on unaffected. I attended a small local night called “Brix-Tongue” at Brixton Art Gallery. Here I saw a small band of poets, comedians and musicians talking about life, love, politics, relationships and the inevitable approaching winds of war. It was a refreshingly honest break from the DJ world: no “bling bling”, no catchy choruses, and no gimmicks. Just ordinary people speaking extraordinary words. I wanted in! You’ve worked along some pretty big names! How did some of those opportunities come about? Most people will know me as “That guy who read out those weird poems at the end of Russell Brand’s radio show!” I first met Russell at the same poetry night in Brixton. He was a struggling comic who gave outlandish performances. I was a struggling poet trying to be heard. We just clicked from day one and started performing together in tiny pubs. When Russell first got his radio show on BBC 6music he invited me on to close the show and provide improvised poetry to complement the improvised comedy (I was already a writer for BBC Radio). Because they were written on-the-spot, (usually within the last 15 minutes) the poems were very “hit or miss”, but audiences liked the abstract, surreal nature of them. I’ve also presented a performance poetry series on Radio 4 called “Bespoken Word”. We try to shine a light on the live poetry scene and invite poets from all over the UK. A producer from the BBC came down to Brixton to see me perform and invited me to host the series. We’ve had Benjamin Zephaniah, Scroobius Pip and Pete Docherty all reading poems on the show. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far? My greatest achievement is probably the work that I do in schools, colleges and prisons. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been involved in some very high-profile events and show the entertainment industry a different side of poetry. But the satisfaction of working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds or hardened prisoners and encouraging them to explore their thoughts and opinions through poetry is far more gratifying. I believe that we need to fall in love with poetry again. It’s still seen as mundane word that conjures up images of boring GCSE classes or elitist country clubs. But poetry should be by the people, for the people. The sonnets of a working class Muslim elder living in a council house should be just as relevant to the history of English poetry as the writings of a Cambridge Professor in his study. What inspires you? I grew up on a concentrated diet of Hip Hop, so artists like Ice Cube, Rakim, KRS One and Nas are as important to me as the works of Byron or Oscar Wilde. John Lennon’s song “Working Class Hero” still sends a chill down my spine when I hear it. I also love the work of the Persian poet Rumi. Inspiration comes from all walks of life. It can be a misheard conversation on the train or the awareness of the spaces in between the raindrops. Whilst writing for the Radio 2 show, I usually went into an intense “quiet zone” and sat back to try and find that elusive poetic thread from which I could hang all the individual chaotic events from. What advice would do you have for others who might want to start writing/performing poetry? Just keep writing. If you have any thoughts, opinions or ideas that are buzzing around in your mind, then write them down ASAP. Treat your imagination like a vast Amazonian jungle full of hidden treasures and desires. Only by constantly writing do you start to forge recognisable paths through the trees as you search to find your own voice. My poems are generally more reflective than funny because that’s my style. If you like to write quirky or eccentric poems then explore that. Poetry is a very liberating form of expression that knows no bounds. In terms of performing: just get out there and do your thing. I’ve performed in front of pensioners, prisoners, politicians, at thrash metal concerts, Hip Hop battles, comedy nights, weddings and funerals. Once you get around, people will start to take an interest. Ruth Price
Architecting This play has the potential to be great. It has some of the most dedicated actors I have seen, a daringly innovative set design, with topics relating to important real life occurrences and cleverly uses technology as a tool to aid the impact of theatrical devices. So why at several times during the performance was I baffled beyond belief and why did the man next to me keep dozing off until a loud slam of the onstage door startled him awake again? A cartoon cupboard image comes to mind where, in a desperate attempt to tidy, a character shoves everything into the cupboard just in time, only for it all to fall out messily later on. The TEAM, a New York based theatrical company, worked together with the National Theatre of Scotland to devise ‘Architecting’ with its heaving array of ideas, but there is just too much going on in one production.
As the audience enter they are faced with the interior of a bar, which they later learn is set in New Orleans, the city devastated by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. A young lady architect, Carrie Campbell, then appears after attaching a demolition notice to the door of the bar. After this first scene the audience are shown a whirlwind of different plot lines including following Campbell’s project, or her late father’s project, of creating a new housing development in the once poor, black district of the town. Another plot included the character of Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind, and how her book was made into a movie. One story followed a young lady who crashes her car on the way to competing in a Scarlett O’Hara beauty pageant but manages to get a lift there with a runaway manager of a petrol station. The cast has great stamina and clearly feel strongly about the topics in the play which include themes of national and personal reconstruction, such as the failures of American reconstruction after the American Civil War and Katrina and is also about human beings doing the best they can even when the world changes under their feet. Even though the cast are very determined and play a variety of roles each, the character changes are not defined enough which confuses the audience with who’s who, which then also blurred the time periods which flash between the 19th and 21st centuries. The piece also comments on racial attitudes in America but had an all white cast which seemed strange. Expect to have your senses constantly stimulated throughout this piece, by all of the above as well as by a range of theatrical techniques within the production including dancing, singing and video projection. Does this sound too intense? At least now you know what to expect so you can focus on the exceptional aspects of the play, and trust me, there are many. By Alaina O’Sullivan
Live comedy: Russell Brand at the Royal Albert Hall, 8th November 2009 After an introduction to the night by Mr Gee – once the ‘poet laureate’ of Brand’s now infamous ex-BBC radio show during which he delivered a mixture of stand up and his own individual brand of poetry-cum-social commentary to an enthusiastic crowd, the main event was upon us. The show kicked off with a montage of news footage taken from the ‘Sachsgate’ scandal, which seemed to dominate the British media for weeks upon end last year and culminated in Brand’s resignation from the BBC. It was this veritable goldmine of material that the show largely drew upon. Indeed, in his opening line he thanked the audience for ‘coming to see me in a medium through which I am still allowed to communicate with you’, making it clear from the start that he was not about to make any apologies for that fateful answer-phone message. In one of the many highlights of the show, he ridiculed the media’s hysterical reaction to the story by dancing manically before a backdrop of the opening credits for the ten o’clock news (which on this particular occasion was dedicated almost exclusively to Sachsgate), whilst repeatedly singing ‘I am the news!’, in order to demonstrate the effect of this attention on his self-proclaimed egomania. Brand went on to discuss his experiences whilst presenting the MTV VMAs, including a hilariously crude joke about Robert Pattinson’s penchant for menstrual blood. Overall, the performance was fantastically funny and incredibly entertaining, and although his failure to appear after the gig was slightly disappointing, the crowd was largely abated by Noel Gallagher’s appearance at the stage door. The proceeds from this show were donated to Focus 12, the drug rehabilitation charity which helped Russell to get clean, and of which he is now a patron. To find out more about the charity and its work, visit www.focus12.co.uk Ruth Price
GIAG Theatre Trips: Thriller Live, Thursday 26th November 2009 Lights go down, crowd goes quiet, and the room fills with excitement as everyone catches their breath. Then all of a sudden the background lights on the stage begin to glow bodily, there’s a crash of technical wizardry and the words ‘THRILLER-LIVE’ blaze before our eyes. Oh yes, we know we are in for a treat. As part of RSU’s ‘Give At A Go: Trips Away’ scheme, sixteen students from Roehampton University spent a night at the theatre to watch Thriller-Live! The critically acclaimed stage show of Michael Jacksons transition to fame from his early years in the Jackson Five all the way through his 20s with record breaking albums such as bad and thriller up until his sad departure on June 25, 2009. The show dazzled with its bold use of colour and lighting to enhance the dramatic and familiar costumes worn by the king of pop, the dancers showed skill and perfection with their moves and the singers all took to the stage with determination and confidence to present us with classic hits from Michael’s career as one of the best entertainers of all time. The crowd were kept entertained throughout and even had the chance to stand up and get involved with songs such as shake your body (down to the ground) and Blame it on the boogie. The show proved that even though Michael Jackson is not here with us in body his spirit and name will live on forever, he was and will always be the undisputed KING OF POP, Fact. Natasha Blake
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Fresh Newspaper
Sport Roehampton’s Illegal Tennis Clubs! Well...where to start. The first rule of Illegal Tennis Club (ITC,) is you do NOT talk about Illegal Tennis Club! The second rule is.. Well, you get the picture and the ripped of quote hopefully. And although the first thing I was told about the ITC forbid me to talk about it, a legal loop hole of sorts in the club charter – a loose and drunken agreement between members in Belfry Bar – did allow me to write about it however. Very crafty... The first thing that should be understood is that they’re not actually ‘illegal,’ they just operate outside of the purview of Sports Roehampton. They don’t enter any competitions and most of the games are disorganised social outings, lasting as long as there interest holds – but that is the beauty of ITC, it’s all about having a laugh whilst trying to keep fit playing a disorganised sport (and occasionally trying to work off a savage hangover!) So, on Saturday 28th November, I joined the ITC to see what it got up to on the tennis courts in Froebel – not in a disused car park like it had been suggested the night previous in order to keep the Fight Club theme going. And In true rebellious style, fitting of all non conformist groups, the ITC was stupidly late and the start was delayed by an hour and a half. I was cheerfully greeted by the founder Paul Menzies (or Canada,) who introduced himself with ‘I’m all about the power!’ Good for you I thought! Now let’s get started. After ten minutes and many failed attempts, it was agreed that serves would be done underarm before someone lost an eye. Only Ivan Imossi served over arm - but then again he is the most experienced of the ITC and the only one not drinking the previous night.
Game, set and cash: Roehampton is home to the National Tennis Centre which cost an estimated £40 Million to build.
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They started by playing winner stays on to warm up and then some doubles matches. By the time the doubles matches broke down, all organisation had been lost and it seemed to turn into tennis dodge ball. It was hard not to notice that there was no skill to these games at all and most of the points gained were mainly from foul serves. But still, it was really fun! After fortyfive minutes the ITC had to leave the tennis courts because the Football players had booked the court for practise. But spirits were still high despite no real tennis being played and the team arranged to do something fun later that night...and after all, isn’t that what University is all about! The ITC meet every Saturday at the Tennis courts on Froebel. Times vary, but it’s usually around 2 o’clock – depending on how good The Bop was... Ryan William Cooper
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