24 SEPT 2012/
ISSUE 02 FREE
THIS WEEK Recipe of the week
WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
SALFORD’S ONLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Students hit by timetabling errors
Amy Hughes shares her delicious recipe for peanut butter fudge on page 4
Photograph: trekkyandy @ flickr.com
Student rep FAQ
Jon Burgess “I began panicking because I have to arrange my life around this timetable. I was checking, on the hour, every hour, from 9AM until 6PM to see if something showed up. I began panicking because my kids need somewhere to go when I’m at Uni – when they’re not in school. Induction was on Friday – and we start on Monday. I can’t get childcare arranged in that amount of time.” Mandy Kasase is a final year BSc Business and Management student with three children. Her academic life is as fraught as it could be. On top of her studies, she has a part time job and her childcare arrangements to sort. She has experienced timetabling problems throughout her degree, and is used to the disruption. Looking back over two years of escalating nursery fees and busy after school clubs, she says she has learned to cope with the uncertainties of scheduling – but worries about how new students will adjust. Mandy was able to work her timetable out via a contact in the business school, by viewing a generic ‘programme level’ document that showed each and every core and optional
What is a student rep? How can you become one? Emma Ogden explains it all on page 30 module in the coming term. Although tihs isn’tperfect, she’s now prepared for every eventuality – and can plan accordingly, even though the exact details of her modules and study groups have yet to be worked out by her school. “For those of us who were organised - those of us who need to be, it was a fairly easy thing to do,” she says. “It shouldn’t have to be like this. Every year they change something, and every year something else goes wrong.” Although fixes have been promised by the Student Information Directorate, Mandy says her personalised timetable remains blank, and by the time her amended schedule arrives, she won’t be using it. “I don’t feel I can trust it. I don’t need their timetable, because I’ve made my own.” As the new term looms ever closer, thousands of returning students have been left in limbo as to when their full timetable will arrive, leaving part time jobs and placements hanging in the balance. The reputation of Salford’s students and their ability to organise their lives around their paid work and extra-curricular activities will no doubt be questioned by employers and placement holders – all because of overly ambitious timetabling software that was
released before it was ready, and then beset with further difficulties – the system outage last Friday being the final nail in the coffin. Support networks have wilted under the strain of timetable complaints and queries, with many schools unable to comment or even to advise their new and returning students who expected completed schedules on September 3. Some schools have even postponed the start of teaching for a week to allow for the situation to be fully resolved. Student Information, the University department with overall responsibility for timetabling, planned to roll out programme level timetables for every school. While not personalised, it shows every possible combination of core and optional modules available for a given discipline. Nothing seems certain, even in light of such promises. At time of writing the college of Arts and Social Sciences reported further delays in delivering their generic schedule to their students, eventually posting a programme level timetable on the morning of Friday, September 21, a staggering eighteen days later than originally planned. The college of Arts and Social Sciences are by no means the only college affected –
the social networking sites are awash with unhappy tweets and posts from students who are still none the wiser as to when they’ll be able to download a full timetable on Blackboard. Many have argued that this back up has arrived too late – and still isn’t specific enough to give definitive dates and times to employers, placement holders or to arrange childcare. Students have reported modules disappearing and reappearing as time progresses. Either the system displays no lectures at all, or shows utterly ludicrous modules being scheduled for 3AM on a Saturday morning, for example. It’s especially poor in light of the revised Student Charter, as SU President Christina Kennedy explains, “The Charter claims that students should normally expect their timetables for the 1 August, yet the week before teaching starts students still had no idea where they are supposed to be which is just not good enough. I know there were issues with the change to the new system but this seems to be something which happens year on year and definitely needs some attention. The disorganization doesn’t look good for new students.” (continued on page 2)
Music feature
Sally L ei b ov i c i charts the history of punk on page 28
02 : NEWS
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Students hit by timetabling errors (continued from page 1) Jon Burgess Why wasn’t a programme level timetable made available earlier? Previous years of study have seen such schedules on Blackboard in early August. Given the University wide problem, such documents would have proved invaluable. With the situation far from resolved, it fell to Director of Student Information, Scott Mullholland to address many of the unanswered questions surrounding the timetabling crisis. His department has overall responsibility for delivering accurate scheduling to students. “There isn’t a simple answer to this problem – three or four factors are contributing to the situation”, he explains. The problems began in the summer, when there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding two of the University’s new facilities – the Chapman building and Media City UK. With the former behind schedule and the latter not yet at its full capacity, Mr Mullholland recalled how difficult planning became without knowing for certain what teaching space would be available. The situation changed several times, eating into the crucial period when testing of the new timetable delivery system was supposed to take place. “Initially we timetabled with the understanding that Chapman would be available, but the contractors were late in
delivering it, so we stripped it out again, and then at a very late stage we were told that Chapman would be available for some classes.” Untangling the issues surrounding the Chapman building and Media City UK took, Mr Mullholland recalls, ‘a couple of months’. This was further complicated by the decision to teach the Business PGT syllabus from Media City. With the release of the new timetabling system imminent, Student Information had very
“The University could have done a lot better than we did this time and we let our students down, and that’s hugely disappointing” little time left to test their software, and vital information about the availability of teaching space is still missing. This last point, Mr Mullholland asserts, also delayed the production of a programme level timetable. “What would have been a most rigorous two month testing period was cut to a few weeks, and it just wasn’t possible to test the system to that degree of thoroughness .The past two years we’ve gone for a programme level view. This year we perhaps bit off more than we could chew by going for a fully
personalised timetable from day one. That’s led to complications with the data that populates the timetables.” Teaching staff had access to provisionally drafted timetables during this period, but at present their schedules remain incomplete as individual module classes are yet to be drawn up. Student Information chose to push ahead with a personalised timetable – one that displays scheduling tailored to each student – because of a desire to improve on their performance in the National Student Survey (NSS). “If you look over the last three years at the National Student Survey results, we’ve performed extremely well in terms of improving timetabling. In terms of communicating effectively about changes to timetables, that figure rose from 58% to 73% over the last three years. We’ve seen dramatic improvements in scores, and we had hoped to do better again this year”, said Mr Mullholland. Many students, new or returning, would bitterly contest the last part of Mr Mullholland’s statement. Students are still in the dark about their timetables, and the University’s NSS score at the end of the graduating year will doubtless reflect this. Establishing exactly what went wrong on September 3rd has been difficult.
Editorial Amanda Mace Editor Welcome to issue two of The Salfordian! What did you think of the first issue? If there is anything you love, hate, or would like to see more of in any of the issues this year, let us know on our Facebook page. Just search ‘Salfordian’. I hope you enjoyed welcome week. The students’ union hosted some brilliant events to get new and returning students involved, such as the tea party and mature students mixers. Personally I thought the activities fair was the best of the lot. It was so interesting to find out about all different the different societies! Welcome week was certainly a great way to kick-start the new academic year. However, the timetabling errors across the university mean that these first few weeks of the new term have proved to be an incredibly frustrating time for many of you. As you can see, this week we have full coverage of the issues and the extent to which they have affected both new and returning students. The situation, of course, is changing every day, but we hope that our news pages this week will answer any questions you may have about the cause of the problems. Issue three of The Salfordian is out Monday 1 October. You can also read the newspaper online at www.salfordstudents.com.
Mr Mullholland cites a delay in capturing students’ registration data, and completely “unanticipated” problems with Sharepoint, the web based software responsible for displaying the personalised timetables. Together with the earlier facility delays, SI struggled to make sense of the situation: “These problems combined gave us a perfect storm. Meanwhile, different students were reporting different issues across Facebook and Twitter, and it became increasingly difficult to establish what the problems were.” Student Information had to take down Sharepoint completely, and at present there’s no word on when it will be up and running again. This partially explains why many students’ personal timetables were
blank. So where does that leave us now? As we went to press, Mr Mullholland was keen to downplay the number of Salford students affected by the failure of Sharepoint – although he admitted Health students had been the hardest hit – ‘A significant minority, maybe ten or twenty percent’. He claims at present that around 14,000 students ‘are now set up with their timetables,’ with that figure increasing as new students complete their registration forms. A dedicated helpline was set up last Thursday by Student Life to deal with any student who continues to have problems, and Mr Mullholland predicts that by the third week of term, the timetabling system will be functioning properly. Whether students and schools will
Contents Pages 1-3 News Pages 4, 5 and 6 Features Page 27 Comment Page 28 Arts Page 29 Careers Page 30 Your Union Page 31 Activities Page 32 Sports have created their own timetables by then remains to be seen. Most will probably cobble together their own, like Mandy Kasase did. While the extent of the disruption isn’t yet fully documented, Scott Mullholland is in no doubt about where the continued culpability for the timetables lies. “As a University we have a responsibility to students to deliver a service, and on this occasion we failed. There’s absolutely no question of trying to deny responsibility for this. The University could have done a lot better than we did this time and we let our students down, and that’s hugely disappointing.” Student Life’s Timetabling Hotline is available from 9AM to 5PM on weekdays. Their contact number is 0161 295 2227
Timetabling: my perspective Craig Carroll
This summer, our university enacted a newer way to release our timetables. We were to be given our timetables electronically on Monday 3 September, whereas last year we were simply given them during our first week at university. That was much easier; I am still waiting for my exact timetable for my 2nd year at University. As someone who has to travel for up to two hours every day to get to Salford, I personally need my timetable as soon as possible so that I can make travel arrangement and I expect many other students are in the same boat. These timetables will essentially determine our daily lives for the next 12 weeks and still there is a lot of students who do not know where they stand. Journalism student Yasser Bostan, who works part time, says the issues with the timetables has caused him
a problem as he is unable to tell his employers when he is free to work. With a lot of other students having to take part time jobs, I’m sure there are a lot more who suffer from the same problem. So far, since my timetable has been ‘accessible’, I’ve gone from having no lessons during my 2nd year here to having one lesson, I think it was Sports Journalism, two while five to having two lessons. One overlapped Sports Journalism and would have required that I stay at university till 9 o’ clock at night. If that was a true reflection of the timetable, I wouldn’t be getting home till around 11 o’ clock. I’m sure most people would not like to be messed around like that; the university should’ve sorted out the “kinks” of the system prior to using it. A truer reflection of my timetable has started to show; however it still has not been properly sorted. I have still not been made aware as to when I have Print Journalism or Critical Journalism, there are several slots
for the two on there but I haven’t been told which of them I have to go to. Heading into my first week of the semester, all I know for now is that I have Mondays off, so I guess it’s not all bad. On the one hand I applaud the University for taking the initiative by introducing this new system as it has the potential to save a lot of time and paper. There is a lot more information that is being released electronically and in this digital age, everyone has to adapt. Furthermore the university has been very apologetic about the problems caused by the new system. Due to the detrimental effect that these timetable issues have had on students, I believe in future it would be useful that the university do a trial run so that any issues that may arise could be sorted a lot sooner and that come Monday, more students know where this new semester is heading.
Editor: Amanda Mace Email: editor-ussu@salford.ac.uk
Features Editor: Lowri Williams
Postal address: Univerity of Salford Students’ Union, University House, The Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT
Visit Our Website www.salfordstudents.com
News Editor: Cassandra Ward
C.Ward4@edu.salford.ac.uk
Comment Editor: Jonathon Norrey
J.Norrey@edu.salford.ac.uk
Arts Editor: Sally Leibovici
sally.leibovici@yahoo.com
lowrix@hotmail.co.uk
Sports & Activities Editor: Bryony Pearce B.Pearce@edu.salford.ac.uk Careers: Amanda Mace Advertising : Stefan Redfern stefan.redfern@manchester.ac.uk Tel 0161 275 2930
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
News: 03
Welcome 2012 in pictures
We’ll we adding a short film of welcom to our website very soon, so keep an eye out on www.salfordstudents.com to see if you’ve been caught on camera!
Photographs by Olivia Hinchcliffe and Ahsam Imran
04 : Features
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
You! Cheer up! Nathan Thompson We are not always happy creatures. This is normal and healthy. From time to time we feel the weight of the accumulation of small, every day, annoyances, miseries, and stresses that make feeling that daily cheer a daily chore. The problem is that while it is pretty common to feel like this, we are prejudiced against for trying to express them in any kind of way by the mass cheerfulness of society at that given point. I write this, whilst in a calm, and reasonably, happy mood. That of course at some point will change and I will become a little closed off and, dare I say it, slightly grumpy. When I am in this state I will be told by various people to ‘cheer up’ or even worse ‘think positively’. I would like to warn anyone reading this that may consider actually saying these badly chosen words to kindly keep them to themselves. They are not useful and rarely have the desired effect. They know this themselves, so why do they keep saying them? The reason being is that in an attempt to fit in to the cheerful culture that most people consider themselves a part of, society has influenced not only the sufferers of grumpiness, but also the consolers. When the grumpy souls start to look down, society sees it as its duty to correct this blemish by ordering the change rather than taking any steps to help correct the issue. An order, you see, is easy to give.
You have a want of something, you ask for it. No matter how unreasonable, rude, or cruel the order might sound like to those not feeling their best. When you are told to ‘cheer up’ you inherently feel that something is wrong with you; why can’t you be as cheerful as the person ordering the cheer? It seems quite easy, they’re doing it, looks easy enough. Once during a time of my life when I was quite a bit less than cheerful most of the time I was ordered, by someone I barely knew, to ‘sort my life out.’ Needless to say, I was slightly annoyed at this. Now, however, I understand that this person was speaking with the voice of society at large. People can be unthinking and cruel sometimes, but only when trying to accomplish a goal. The great problem with this is that when it comes to the details of other people’s lives, society can be lazy, which brings me to my second point. While an order is easy, being an agony aunt is difficult. Why do you think counsellors and psychiatrists are paid so much, for the most part, just to listen? Let alone develop often complex pieces of advice and exercises in an attempt to correct what they see as an individual blemish as opposed to a sociological one. They provide what is needed. Sometimes what is needed is just to get away from society for a time and reorder your thoughts. I am not saying
go out and live in the sticks for a few weeks, but losing yourself in a good book for a while can’t hurt. Ignore the mass orders of society for you to cheer up, what do they know? At times their as miserable as you are or probably even more
so. Positive thinking sometimes means trying to forget all the reasons for feeling negative, but then I hate the so called “benefits” of positive thinking, they’re for suckers. Positive things happen by hard work and determination
and you don’t need to have to control your thinking to make it happen. Your thoughts aren’t that powerful. Just be yourself, if you are fed up, be fed up. If you don’t want to smile, then don’t. Be angry if you want, just don’t
punch anyone or break anything. And when someone tells you to cheer up, pity them. They are the ones that are puppets to society, be smart enough to see that.
Recipe of the week Spotlight on indie designers Amy Hughes You can make these to enjoy and share with friends or on your own with ice-cream. They are rich so be careful not to eat them all at once. I chose to share with friends and family. 125g butter 500g dark brown sugar 120ml milk 250g crunchy peanut butter 1 vanilla pod (seeds only) 300g icing sugar Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat Pour in sugar and milk and bring to the boil without stirring for 2/3 mins
Jessica Willby Remove from the heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla seeds In a large bowl, place in the icing sugar and then pour the hot mixture over the sugar. With a wooden spoon beat until smooth Pour mixture into a square, deep baking tray and set aside to cool When slightly cooled, place in fridge to cool completely and set for at least a day (the longer you chill it, the better it sets) When completely set, with a sharp knife cut out squares and store in an air tight jar.
The most exciting thing about the new academic year has to be moving into your new digs. By now I’m sure returning students and freshers have relocated and taken their first step back into student life. With that in mind, this week I had my eye out for trinkets and treasures to make your new pad a home. The Left Hand Hooker (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ TheLeftHandedHooker) is an Etsy seller who specialises in beautiful knitted creations. What could be more typically British for your new kitchen then a set of bright mug warmers? Not only handy to keep your tea nice and warm, but also to ward off any unruly new flat mates! The store also stocks iPhone and iPad cases for and gadget savvy students, and for anyone feeling crafty, you can also buy PDF patterns to try your hand at a few DIY crochet creations. There are even takeaway coffee cup warmers for anyone sneaking Starbucks into their lectures! Kristie Henley, from Tennessee, started her Etsy store back in 2008 and makes all her crochet items by hand. The mother of 3 makes all her items in a smoke free home and even accepts custom orders if
you can’t find the colour that’s right for you. Prices start from £5 and there is currently a back to school offer with the code ‘SAVE10PERCENT’. Keeping with the theme of tea, I stumbled across an independent tea company perfect for anyone fending off fresher’s flu or just wanting to get to know new flat mates with a cuppa. Wildroot Botanicals (http:// www.etsy.com/shop/wildroot) is a small family business that uses fair-trade certified materials and supports local farmers in producing high
quality teas and other herbal goods. Products are made in small batches by hand to ensure a standard of excellence Flavours vary from Lavender Earl Grey, to a more adventurous ‘Fairytale tea’ made up of Elderflower, Hawthorn flowers and Rose buds. One that caught my eye, and one that many of us will need due to the imminent season change, was ‘Cold Relief’, made up of Catnip, Rosehips, Peppermint and Elderflower. Owners of Wildroot, Leslie and Orion say “We like drinking this tea even when we don’t have colds, our little boy loves it too!” Prices of tea start around £5
and each pot makes roughly 2025 cups. The company also offers Organic skin care, lip balms, muscle rub and ‘bath tea’ to name a few. Ingredients for each are in most cases, harvested in the wild or locally as Wildroot make a concerned effort take care of the environment by working alongside the United Plant Savers to help save western herbs from extinction. If you have any suggestions for small-scale companies to feature, sell your own work or just want to show off your creativity.
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Features : 05
The Round-Up Carl Spurling
Lowri loves...cobalt Lowri Williams Features Editor
Feeling blue? In the world of Fashion, we are having a blue moment. However there is nothing depressing about it, whatsoever. Cobalt is to be the colour of Autumn this season as it dominates the runways. Combining oversize cocoon coats mentioned in my last column, with a huge splash of cobalt, and just like magic the next statement pieces are in and are demanding our attention. Luckily for all of us, blue can suit any skin tone, it’s just a matter of choosing the right shade for you. This fabulous colour has come at the right time too, as cobalt will look truly scrumptious with a light end of season tan. My favourite pieces from this Autumn’s runway collection are from Sportmax, Prabel Gurung, Hieder Ackerman and Comme des Garcons. They all presented different ways of wearing blue, whether it be your centre piece, or a bold accessory to brighten up an outfit. I have had my eye on a beautiful chunky knit in cobalt blue from Zara that I must get my hands on. Paired with skinny jeans, drainpipe leather or slouchy silk joggers this knit will look spot on this season. Other high street shops along with Zara that offer some great cobalt pieces are Warehouse, Mango, Topshop and Reiss. Incorporate the blue however you like, whether it be a structured blazer to add a bold aesthetic to your outfit or a pair of cobalt blue trousers to work with a crisp white shirt for a monochrome look. Work the colour with fresh whites and navy for a fresh nautical feel or camels and browns to balance the accent of colour. Or if you are really brave go for another deep colour such as vibrant yellow. Whatever you wear, and however you wear it, be confident and be sure to make blue your signature pop of colour this Autumn! Pick up The Salfordian next week to read my next column. You can also read my blog online at www. lowriwyn.blogspot.co.uk
The X Factor has been losing millions of viewers. I blame it on them having the same old bunch of talentless has-beens, nobodies and wannabes… judging the contestants. A new biography of Simon Cowell also revealed that he demanded ITV bosses reinstate Danni Minogue as her tits would pull in viewers. I’m not so sure, at the moment the viewers seem to be dropping like flies and this series has a massive pair of t*ts...sat either end of the judging panel. The downing street cat caught its first mouse last week to which David Cameron responded ‘Good Heavens!’ How does he hope to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies by saying ‘good heavens’ over a dead mouse? This is our leader for God’s sake! I want a leader who can crush a man’s head like a pack of crisps (and does so regularly on television), we need a guy who announces he plans to eat the souls of those who oppose him. Not ‘good heavens!’ He has such a lack of charisma and impact that he could have sex with a bear (exactly the sort of headline grabbing spice his career needs to arrest the public’s interest) and his only comment would be ‘oh dear’…I am guessing. This week the Voyager 1 spacecraft has finally left our solar system after over 30 years of space exploration. The Voyager (and its sister ship Voyager 2) has clocked up 9.2 billion miles, which shows NASA really don’t think about re-sale. Andy Murray has won the American opens. It is a shame he can’t be nominated for sports personality of the year…as he doesn’t have one. I sometimes wonder what Tim Henman is doing now, the only possible way he can make money now is to turn up at parties and do his famous ‘fist pump’ four times in an hour for £50 (much like George Michael). He could also do a sideline in kids parties as
‘Tiger Tim’. A study has shown that there has been drastic declines in the amount British teenagers have been reading since 2005. It is understandable as most of them are too busy being parents. One of the most revealing facts about the IQs of last summer’s rioters was that the only untouched shop on the worst hit street in Tottenham was Waterstones. Prince Harry has returned to Afghanistan! Judging by the British Armies’ human rights record we will presumably soon see a repeat of the ‘Prince Harry Pictured Naked’ stories but with the addition of the words ‘Prisoners’ ‘Against Will’ and ‘Human Pyramid’ included.
10 ways to...save money Lowri Williams Features Editor
1. Okay so first things first, you have just received your loan, and wow it’s a fat amount of money that you could quite easily blow on whatever the hell you want right? Wrong. You have got to remember that the money isn’t yours, you are borrowing it, ‘loaning it’ from the banks and eventually you are going to have to give it back, so think wisely how you spend it. Try and not destroy the entire wedge all at once within the first week as by the end of term you’ll be in a bit of a financial and emotional state. 2. Check for student discounts everywhere you go. A lot of places, whether it be restaurants, cinemas, or high street shops will offer a 10% or possibly more, student discount. They will not however tell you, and most of the time
it is your duty to ask. Then all that will be needed is a flash of your student card and you are laughing, as it now means, with that 10% off your Nando’s you can now afford tea tomorrow night too. Sweet. 3. Get yourself an NUS Extra card! I cannot express how great these cards are. They only cost £12 and can save you a hell of a lot of money. I mean it, the card entitles you up to 25% off in some places, so it’s really worth it. For more information visit www.nus.org.uk/en/nusextra 4. Get your food at Asda, or Aldi, great prices, and the food is decent. 5. Forget credit cards, don’t get tempted they will only come back and bite you in the ass big time. 6. Hit the library for entertainment. No really, honestly forget going to Blockbusters to rent out a dvd, the library is absolutely free to rent and has a huge range of
choice. 7. Pre drink! Stock up on cheap drink and get yourself nice and ‘merry’ before you go out… that way you wont have to buy any ridiculously expensive drinks at the bar! 8. Charity shops are not just for the elderly. They do have some hidden gems on the odd occasion so don’t be ashamed to have a look. 9. Don’t buy new books! It’s not worth it at all, and the prices for them at the moment are jokes. Get second hand books for your course wherever possible, whether it be lending it off someone who has previously studied your course or having a look on Ebay. 10. Have a night in. Maybe it makes me sound like a killjoy but nights in with a group of friends can be just as fun as going out, and way cheaper too.
Carl casts a caustic eye over current affairs
06 : Features
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
“A man of courage never wants weapons” The Salfordian’s features editor shares a conversation with the bravest person she knows
Lowri Williams Features Editor
Will we ever know how brave we are until faced with our darkest anxieties? Will we ever be able to truly conquer our fears unless wholly presented with them? I think it is safe to say that our bravery will shine and possibly surprise us when we are faced with our weaknesses head on. Who is bravest person you know? Ben Mcguee is 10 years old and is living with cancer. Ben Mcguee is the bravest person I know. Please do not be misled into thinking this is just another miserable despondent article about the saddening outcome of cancer, nor is it to be passed off as a depressing and numbingly repetitive write up of the killer disease. I am writing this purely to deliver the sheer bravery and wonderful innocence a child can bring to one of life’s greatest downfalls. I spent an afternoon with Ben and his mother, desperate to find out how a ten year old can cope with the most frightening of diseases. Truth be told, I was nervous, nervous as hell. I had a list of questions I wanted to ask Ben but I worried how I would ask them, would I upset him? Would I say the wrong thing? Does he even know the reality of his illness? However I cannot express the utterly astounding aura of this boy. His personality; so charming and so confident my uncertainty and hesitations disappeared from
the get go. Ben’s buoyancy was truly thrilling and inspiring. He has the warmest of hearts and reassured me with the greatest of maturity ‘ask me anything you want, honestly I don’t mind telling you everything about the cancer, you can ask me anything’. And with that, we delved into a conversation about the diagnosis, and the story of his treatment. Speaking of chemotherapy with such ease and simplicity I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. Speaking with such a black and white approach of his traumatic treatment I wondered if this boy was human. He spoke with such innocence yet maturity. I couldn’t believe how open he was and it made me question whether the sheer innocence of a child counteracts the bravery and openness of the illness. Would an adult in the same situation be as unguarded? Ben continued to confidently show me the tubes wrapped around his stomach and neck, where his treatment was inserted. Ben showed no hesitation in showing me each step of his treatment, which included being in the room with him as he had his weekly check up with the Macmillan nurse. I found myself in awe of the medication and the procedures and routines Ben faces everyday. When the subject of chemotherapy developed, Ben’s response was extraordinary, ‘One of the magic things about my
Going Dutch! Nathan Thompson The day started at five o’clock in the morning. It was a dark and rainy and the weather went down hill from there. From that less than ideal initial start to the first day of what I believed, and still do believe, is the start of a
year that will change my life, I have finished my first week in the beautiful city of Groningen. That first day was hard. My brother and I travelled from Sale to Groningen, 623 miles in case you were wondering, which included half an hour on the Eurotunnel, and thirteen hours of almost none-stop driving. Needless to say, it was tiring. Still
Chemo was that I didn’t lose my hair. I mean I actually wanted to lose it and look like Matt Lucas, so every morning I would wake up and check my pillow for hair, but I never saw a single thing!’ Sitting alongside Ben and his mother, in a room of three people, I suddenly felt like the child. Suddenly I was punishing myself for ever complaining about anything in life. I was annoyed at myself for being foolishly selfish
about the minor illnesses I have encountered throughout my 20 years. I saw myself three years ago, bed bound with tonsils the size of golf balls crying to my mum that I was sure I was ‘literally’ about to die. It’s actually pretty embarrassing when you think about it, and it’s a shame I had to see Ben to realize my good fortune. As Ben shows me how he spends his evenings, in a whirlwind of
computer games and maltesers, I forget the reason I am there. In the bubble I find myself in, the disease is not in the room with us, infact it doesn’t even exist. At that moment in time, there was no such thing as cancer, and the only thing fighting against Ben were the bombs being thrown at his character on the computer screen. Statistics show that survival has increased for all childhood
cancers since the late 1960’s. For every ten diagnosed with cancer, almost eight now survive for five years or more. Maybe one day our hopes that cancer will be treated with just a pill will come true, but for now lets recognize the positive improvements the treatments are providing. Ben Mcguee proves cancer is not undefeatable. He is.
Salford student Nathan Thompson is studying in the Netherlands for a year as part of the exchange programme. Every fortnight he shares his experiences of living abroad. I am here now, and for the past week I have been busy with the basic needs of integrating myself into the local society in ways that before I would have thought were inconsequential to being a part of a community. The most annoying of these can easily be identified as opening a bank account. It seems like such a simple thing! However, with the
differences between British and continental banking, we have been led to believe that what is simple for one country is the same for another. It is not. I could describe the various problems I have met with this simple act but I can convey them more with simple pieces of advice for any considering time abroad next year. Firstly, make sure you print out everything and have it carefully organised. Ignore that little message at the end of emails that requests you think of the e nv i ro n m e n t before printing. There will be plenty of time for recycling later. You will need those print outs. S e c o n d ly, never ever use travellers’ cheques. They are not as convenient, nor am I convinced as safe, as they are portrayed as being. They are nothing but a pain. If you
are worried about carrying too much cash around then keep it in your bank account and just do a money transfer when you get there. It might cost a little more but the headaches you will avoid with save you a fortune on asprin. The most difficult part about studying away, in most cases, is coping with hearing an unfamiliar language. Nothing makes you feel more ignorant or stupid than repeatedly having to claim that you do not understand (insert name of language here). When you live in international student accommodation and meet people your age or younger, all of whom seem to have a very secure grasp of at least two or three languages, it does nothing to help your feelings of loneliness. So far I have identified about six or seven different languages and even more accents. While all the students do have a proficiency in English to various degrees, it is the English students that have a harder time understanding the conversations when two students from Spain, for example, have a conversation of their own in Spanish. The rest of the students from inland European countries have an easier time following these conversations. I am not suggesting that you try and
understand all the languages of the surrounding countries as well as the host country, but I would suggest that you take some lessons, or at the very least buy some language packs, and try to develop your vocabulary in the host language sufficiently. That way, you can at least ask where the milk is when you go to the shops. While being away from the familiar surroundings of home has sometimes felt daunting, the benefits of this exchange have been worth it so far. I have made friends with some interesting people who are more than willing to explain about their own culture and whom also understand how being so far from home really feels because they’re doing it right alongside you. There is a level of maturity in the other tenants that doesn’t stop people partying all night but does allow a respect for the personal space of others. A perfect amount in fact. These are the people that I will be sharing toilets, showers, and kitchens with for the next year (the first two thankfully not at the same time) and I’m looking forward to every second, just as I have enjoyed every second so far. Let’s see how the coming year is going to unfold. There is something in the air, it smells like...optimism.
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Comment : 27
Salford, so good Welcome to Salford! Home, at various points in time, to L.S. Lowry, Emmeline Pankhurst, Jason Manford, Karl Pilkington, Shaun Ryder, The Smiths, The Kersal Massive and, far less importantly, me. I’ve spent most of my life in Salford; I was born, raised and educated here. Someone once said that that makes me uncultured, unsophisticated and boorish, which I felt was extremely unfair on Salford and the majority of its inhabitants – so I spat on him and called him a bellend. The fact is: Salford continues to divide opinion; some see it as a chav-riddled dystopia, while others see it as a potential metropolis, and having personally experienced the best and worst that the city has to offer (highlights include: riots causing most of Salford Shopping City to be smashed up, the community banding together to clear the destruction caused by the aforementioned riots, graduating from Salford University – which hopefully, you’ll experience – and being mugged at knife-point for three quid – which hopefully, you won’t experience), I think both opinions hold some weight. Salford is currently in a transitional period due to huge investment in the area, thanks, in part, to the BBC move. This investment has seen the quays transform from grubby, dangerous and unappealing dockland, into the beautifully rejuvenated, aesthetic masterpiece it is today. It can also be seen at the University, with new teaching buildings being erected at the main campus,
plans for a student complex to be built in the near future, and a huge amount of money was spent on the new logo last year (and it’s far better than the previous one because who in the right mind doesn’t think that lions are sh*t?). All this will change the way Salford is viewed due to the following reasons: reduction in crime rates, by relocating some of the scumbags from their council properties in potential redevelopment areas to Wigan or some other sh*t-hole; increased affluence, by creating new jobs and enticing the wealthy from other areas; and raising Salford University’s position in the league tables, by attracting a higher standard of student (Yes! In ten years time you’ll be delighted you missed out on that B in Physics that caused you to end up here, and feel proud that you attended such a reputable university!). Admittedly, at present, some areas of Salford are infested with a plethora of ‘chavs’ – there are places in Salford even Rambo wouldn’t dare to venture! But during your time at Uni here, you are highly unlikely to find yourself in any of these so-called ‘rough’ areas of Salford, and even if you do somehow end up in one, you have no reason to be afraid; you are not that much more likely to be the victim of violent crime than you are in any other city. Just to be on the safe side though, walk a bit faster and try not to make eye contact with people. If you do notice someone looking at you with what could be construed as vague menace: start sprinting in the opposite direction and scream: “stranger
danger!” as loudly as you can. If somebody reaches into their pocket as you pass by them, it probably isn’t just to check their mobile or because their hand is a bit cold, it’s likely they’re grasping for a knife so they can mug you! In which case, do the same as previously stated, but throw the contents of your rucksack at them first – failing that, your shoes. If a sweet-looking old lady slows down beside you in her
Cut out and keep!
Locally-born Salford student and comment editor Jon Norrey gives us his unique take on his beloved hometown
car and rolls down the window, seemingly to ask for directions, don’t trust her – it’s almost certainly a drive-by attempt! Immediately punch the crazy old b*tch square in the face, then dive behind a wall or into a nearby bush. Finally, while I wouldn’t recommend attempting it, communication with the local scoundrels is difficult if you are new to the area, in fact, it can be even if you’re not. This is due
to the vernacular adopted by these cretinous sods who believe that the ‘gourmet burger’ from a Wetherspoon’s is haute cuisine, that a Vauxhall Corsa with an illfitting body kit and unnecessary spoiler is the pinnacle of automotive design, and that fifteen is a perfectly reasonable age for childbearing. Due to this, I have created a handy translation table of common words and phrases in case you find yourself in a verbal exchange with one or
more of them. It is worth noting that, while some of the following are exclusive to the local populace, many are used in other areas of the country too, so it’s worth taking with you wherever you go (I suggest cutting it out and laminating it; perhaps carrying it around with you in your wallet or handbag. Also consider tattooing it onto your forearm).
Jon’s handy Salfordian - Queen’s English guide
28 : Arts
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Music: A history of punk Sally Leibovici Arts Editor
Punk Rock is, at its roots, much more than simply a music genre- it’s by definition a way of life. Ever since its beginnings, fans of this musical genre have been associated with antisocial behaviour as well as with a wholesome feeling of anarchy, a refusal to accept anything that ties to “acceptable” social constraints. This type of music has, for a whole lot of people, an extremely vague starting point. It is believed that basically over night The Ramones and Sex Pistols got up on a dusty stage in some bar in New York or London, grabbed a guitar and generated the chaos that punk speaks of. Wrong. As with any other type of music, the punk genre has its roots in the music of bands and singers that in no way would have been labeled as “punk” by their fans. 1964: The Beatles are all that jazz and the type of music that The Beach Boys bop to speaks to the hearts of thousands of young girls that shiver at the sight of the “rebellion” of the well-groomed boys. And woop, there it is! The Monks come out of nowhere. “Who are these guys?” you’ll probably ask yourself. Well, they are the first example of a punk band that didn’t hide underneath the veil of rock ‘n’ roll. Instead of the mohawk style that later adopted by the subculture, these guys shaved their heads in a way that resembled monks, wore black uniforms and nooses around their necks; the latter symbolizing the social boundaries and constraints we all feel suffocated by. As mentioned before, punk rock should be seen as more than a type of music. People that would go to their concerts would often leave flustered and angry at their radical lyrics, and more often than not leave because of the way the instrumentals would sound (give them a listen and tell me what they sound like). At a concert, some guy from the audience even tried to choke the former singer of the band, Gary Burger, due to lyrics that were slightly blasphemous. Their song “Monk Time” is a protest against the war in Vietnam with punk rhythms and scandalous vocals - according to the etiquette of the time. In essence The Monks are the daddies of punk rock. Even more so, bands such as Led Zeppelin with riffs from such songs as “Communication Breakdown” and the great Jimi Hendrix himself were the pioneers of punk
before it was even an idea in embryonic state. But this doesn’t get mentioned quite so often, does it? That’s because punk rock is the only type of music that was born overnight- there was a dire need for it and some musicians answered the need suddenly. Right? Robert Christgau, the self-proclaimed Dean of American Rock Music, has clearly stated that Punk is a movement that rid itself of the idiocy of the hippie movement. Is it truly the way it stands though? When you think of the ideology that sustained the whole “flower power” movement, you can clearly see that there is a CLOSE resemblance to the principles of punk. Hippies are defined by their rebellion against THE MAN, against wars and by their love of people. Punk Rockers have the same ideology, of course lacking the love, and obviously they don’t go around flaunting flowers in their hair... but in the end it’s basically the same. Why all the hate? Punk music also came around as a reaction to the more pompous, progressive styles of music that Yes and Pink Floyd promoted. It’s a natural reaction in rock music that happens every so often, such as the grunge period in the 90s, which was a reaction to metal. Another example is Led Zeppelin, who, it seems, finally managed to shut up the gelled up, suited up boys of the 50s and early 60s. At that time people stopped humming to “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” and instead started moaning to “Whole Lotta Love”. The 70’s: Two bands come up on the musical map: The Ramones and Sex Pistols. Separated by the Atlantic Ocean, these two bands donkey punch the existing values of the time...and after them came the flood of people that subscribe to this way of life. Due to the harsh social conditions of the 70s in the UK, Sex Pistols became more and more attractive to people. With an unemployment rate that exceeded any decent norm, people felt the need to express a latent fury that gradually built itself in the minds of the young with a somewhat bleak future. What’s the best way of getting rid of all this anger? Well Punk Rock, of course! But with time anarchism didn’t seem as important as nihilism. Once the song “No Future” by the Sex Pistols came out, the bleak perspective of the future hit drop dead, deathly pitch black BLACK. From the moment
“Punk Rock is, at its roots, much more than simply a music genreit’s by definition a way of life.”
differences between fans sparked, and now the idea that you couldn’t be a punk rocker unless you completely lived by the ideology “sustained” the movement. The term “poser” came to life in that period as well, an insulting word that tried to make people that appeared not to fully subscribe to the “absolute truth” exit the subculture. Academic Daniel S. Trauber also observed that reaching the status of veritable punk was extremely hard and that once the movement matured everyone started being called a poser. Later on the punk genre gave birth to several other sub-genres that live to this day. Post-punk was the genre that many well-known bands such as Joy Dvision, Siouxsie and The Banshees, and The Fall rolled with. These bands were the transition between the pop-like harsh punk into a darker punk, with what some would
call macabre sounds. Dark Wave came out of this genre much later on. In the 90s we witnessed a punk revival which for better or worse quickly transformed into a commercial movement. Bands such as Green Day, Blink 182 and The Offspring were the fathers of the revival and many other bands started playing this new sound, which was rediscovered in dusty drawers. To this day punk rock is still an important part of rock music together with its sub-genres (post-punk, riot grrrl, Oi!, anarchopunk, etc.). It no longer has the power to influence as much as it did in the past, and the major global centres of punk have changed, but in the end I guess we can still say “Punk’s not dead!”. Right?!
Book review: 11.22.1963 by Stephen King Christine Williams Stephen King’s latest novel “11.22.1963” is quite possibly his finest work to date. It is an 800 page rollercoaster of time travel, inner frets, romance, action and mysticism that sprawls amidst veritable historical dates. You can almost smell the atmosphere, the people, and their thoughts under the Texan sun and the chill of the buildings that lace the hills of Maine. As usual we start out in Maine (Lisbon Falls, Derry) with the main character Jake Epping, an English teacher at a high school, as he commits to an “otherworldly” journey. The setting is perfectly crafted and Stephen King’s characters are flawless in every sense. We’re also treated to several references of his
previous books (IT), which only further helps to weave a perfect literary universe. The drama that unfolds before the readers eyes is nothing less than one of those true treats that you rarely get from contemporary literature. It’s action packed drama and romance, but, mind you, it’s certainly not Die Hard meets the Notebook. There’s no room for crudely depicted muscles in this book nor do we weep uncontrollably over cheesy lines. “If there is love, small pox scars are as pretty as dimples”. This beautiful Japanese saying is one of the lines that will haunt you throughout the whole novel. Because in true King spirit, all the elements that make this book a true gift are shadowed by the sense of impending doom. The doom
and gloom atmosphere is exacerbated by the philosophical question of time and of the butterfly effect. We’re not given a mere depiction of what the effects of time travel would have on our present and future as in other novels, but more what the effects of this type of time travel would have on the one faced with this responsibility. Would you sacrifice yourself for the greater good? Or would you go back in time just for your own profit and wellbeing? Stephen King masterfully creates another novel that depicts real human beings faced with choices that no person should ever have to make. In 11.22.1963 it’s all about realism mixed with faint mysticism.
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Careers : 29
Looking for part-time work Are you finding it difficult to draw up a monthly budget? Considering getting a part-time job but concerned about the impact it might have on your degree? Here’s our guide to juggling work and studies. Part-time work is a great way to get hands on experience for the real working world. Apart from the obvious benefit of providing ready cash, having a part-time job can provide you with an important addition to your CV: experience! Employers highly value skills developed through part-time work, such as communication, team-working and customer service skills. You can gain experience in the sector that you want to pursue a career in. This will demonstrate your enthusiasm and give you a valuable head start. For international students, this can also be particularly useful in developing your language skills. If you’re worried about juggling a part-time job with your university studies, the best way to achieve a work/ study/life balance is to organise your time so that your priorities don’t suffer. Entering your commitments into a diary or e-diary will allow you to see when important course dates are coming up, what dates and times you have agreed to work and if you have any key social events you want to attend. Working more hours over the vacation periods will help you earn extra, much-needed cash. Access to current part time job vacancies is available online through the university. After you register as a student, you will have access this service. You will be able to search though a variety of employment opportunities including part-time work, industrial
placements and graduate opportunities. All employers who are listed on the jobs site have been checked for suitability including the working hours. The University of Salford does not promote any part time opportunities during teaching periods that are more than 16 to 20 hours per week. The site will be live from the 24 September and can be accessed at http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/parttime An excellent way to get ahead in your parttime job search is to attend the Part Time Jobs and Volunteering Fair on campus, organised by Careers & Employability, Student Life. Over 30 local and national employers and charities will be attending to promote their opportunities to students and graduates. The fair is held in the Sports Hall on Wednesday 3 October 2012 from 10.30pm – 3.00pm and is a fantastic way to meet prospective employers face to face and impress them, so come along! You don’t need to book to attend the Fair, you can simply turn up. For more information about the event, visit http://www.careers.salford.ac.uk/page/workfair And remember, the students’ union is often looking for part time staff for a range of roles, so keep an eye on our website, www.salfordsstudents.com Good luck with your job hunting!
To find out more about careers and opportunities, or to apply for the volunteering or job openings below, visit www.careers.salford.ac.uk
JOB of the week
JOB
Organisation : United Football Academy Ltd Location: Greater Manchester Job title: Football coach Closing date: 01/10/12 Pay: Dependant upon level of qualification . Minimum of £7.50 per hour. Rising to £12.50 per hour
Organisation : Shelter Job title: Part Time Street Fundraisers Closing date: 31/12/2012
Job description: Providing football coaching services at soccer schools, in school coaching programs, evening academies Candidate requirements: Minimum of a recognised Football Association level 1 award. Desired level 2 coaching qualification. Driving Licence desirable. All candidates will need to undergo a Criminal Reference Bereau ( CRB ) check.
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITY
of the week
Organisation : Ion Creative Position: Arts workshop volunteer Closing date: 07/2012/2012 Unpaid, part-time, temporary, expenses paid to those travelling within a 25 mile radius of location. Working with Year 7 and 8 students in workshops; alongside a professional artist and teacher. You will support the students to develop creative skills, including digital photography and imaging; to create an exhibition representing their heritage and identity. Activities include: guided walks, photography, interviewing and guest speakers, calligraphy, digital image manipulation, dialogue and debate, and producing personal world view maps. Candidate requirements: IT skills- using photography and digital manipulation software; esp Apple Mac and Photoshop. An interest in working with young people and supporting their learning. Confident communicator. Previous experience of working with children or young people, in a community or arts setting would be an advantage.
vacancy Location: Manchester Part-time, £7.50 for first 4 weeks, then £8.00 per week
Job description: The threat of homelessness is an issue which affects hundreds of different types of people. That’s why the organisation achieves such outstanding results on the streets and why they continue to grow and develop these teams to build on their success. Street fundraisers are exceptional people they’re also fun, interesting, and passionate. If applicants want a role where you work for a great cause, with energetic, enthusiastic people then the organisation wants to hear from you.Hours of work are 0930 to 1800, you need to work a minimum of three full days a week but one of those days can be a Saturday. Candidate requirements: Applicants don’t need experience of fundraising or a detailed knowledge of what the organisation does as full training is provided.
Volunteering
opportunity
Organisation : Pure Innovations Ltd Location: Stockport and Middleton Out-of-pocket expenses provided Volunteers needed to support adults with learning disabilities to get the most out of their day. Sessions are in horticulture, sports and fitness, catering, woodwork, arts, crafts, photography, fashion, history, computers and IT, music. Volunteers will be alongside the staff team to provide additional support to our service users. You may want to take this further and help to plan and run sessions. If you have an interest in these areas or want to gain real work experience in social care please get in touch. Training provided. Mandatory training : Manual handling, Health and Safety, Disability Awareness, Equality and Diversity, Safeguarding vulnerable adults. As required: Values and history of human services, Emergency first Aid, Training in systematic Instruction, Risk Assessment Training, Sales and Marketing training.
30 : Your Union
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Become a student rep! Student rep and BSc Mental Health Nursing student Emma Ogden explains the student rep system and shares her experiences provides the opportunity for students to voice their opinions and take control of their university experience. Without student representation the university would dictate our whole experience and we would be left feeling frustrated and resentful of not being able to change our courses. Being a student rep develops our ability to express ourselves and provides us with opportunities to develop our skills making us highly employable individuals.
What is Student Representation ? Student representation allows students to voice their opinions (whether positive or negative) about their course, discuss them with staff and work towards solutions that improve the student experience. High quality training is provided by the students’ union to help student reps feel confident in their roles and develop skills that will help them in their role and in gaining employability once they graduate.
Tell us about your experiences
How did you get into Student Representation?
I’ve really enjoyed being a Student Rep in my first year and a School Rep last year where I’ve been actively involved in helping change and enhance the student experience; from small wins on my course to representing students at higher level meetings ensuring the student voice was heard. Working closely with the Sabbatical team and other reps in the school and University has given me the opportunity to network and build friendships and working relationships I probably wouldn’t have had
I’d been a student rep whilst studying another degree at Lancaster University and had really enjoyed the role and the skills it helped me develop. When I came to Salford I was nominated by the other students in my personal tutor group (I think they got the impression I was organised! I’m not sure why though!).
Why it is important?
I think Student Representation is really important because it
without being a rep. One of my highlights was the Welcome Talks that one of the Reps and I did for the September 2011 and March 2012 intakes. We introduced the concept of Student Representation to the students and encouraged them to get involved. We held a Student Rep Roadshow after the talk and the amount of students who came to talk to us was phenomenal! Scary but such an adrenaline rush! Another great part of being a rep is the training the Students’ Union provides. Last year, I thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Quality Matters for Reps’ session and the ‘Effective Campaigning for Reps’ session. They were enlightening, informative and useful. The skills I developed through these helped me in securing my role as School Rep for Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work 2012-2013.
If becoming a student rep sounds brilliant to you, contact student representation coordinator Kimberley Neal on studentrepresentation@salford.ac.uk
Your sabbatical officers
Christina Kennedy President Contact me president-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
Mishal Saeed Vice President Health and Social Care
“My favourite bit of welcome
Contact me vphsc-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400 “For me, the most exciting part
week was...
of welcome week was...
the games night, especially
the activities fair, because I got
during a game of ‘go fetch’ when to meet so many interesting those brave fellas volunteered students who are involved in to swap clothes!”
the sports and activity groups”
Get your NUS Extra card now
Samantha Atherton
THE National Union of Students are offering a student discount and lifestyle card which can save you stacks
of money on your favourite online and high street retailers such as Topshop, House of Fraser and ASOS. With an NUS card you can save
on anything to travel, fashion, entertainment, and food - including 20% off your food bill at Frankie and Benny’s. All discounts are 100% exclusive to NUS. On average students are saving £500 a year by using their NUS Extra card.
Tom Doyle Vice President Science and Technology
Eli Prodromova Vice President Arts and Social Sciences
Contact me vpst-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400
Contact me vpcass-ussu@salford.ac.uk 0161 351 5400 “The thing I enjoyed most during welcome was... the activities fair! It was such a great atmosphere. Everyone had fun, but you could see how commited everyone was too. I also had some great feedback after the induction talks.”
“My highlight of welcome week was... seeing a Jessica Ennis lookalike! She doesn’t do any sport, though!” The price to pay is a small £12 and it will be delivered to the University in just seven days. You will need a photo of yourself, your debit card and you can then purchase the card online by following a sequence of instructions. There is no upper age limit, NUS extra is available to
students studying full time or part time, however your course must have begun to be eligible to purchase a card. To purchase a NUS Extra card and for all discount details visit website nus.org.uk
Activties: 31
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Join an activity group
For more information about activities at Salford, visit www.salfordstudents.com
Japanese society Mark Horbury The University of Salford Japanese Society (USJS) is a new society coming into its first year developed by a crew of UoS students. So enthusiastic is their love for Japan it is almost infectious! Anyone who has a passing interest in Japan is welcome to come along, and should certainly do so, if only to make friends with people who have similar interests, that is after all what they’re all about. That, and fun times, of course.
One purpose of the USJS is to educate people in the rich and diverse culture that the country of Japan offers. If you’re interested in Japanese cinema, history, TV, music and so on, the USJS is the place to find out. Another purpose of the USJS is to welcome any and all Japanese native students and make them feel welcome in a country that is as alien to them as their country is to us, as no doubt it is a scary experience to go to another country and know nobody. Once again, the
USJS is the place to be! Throughout we will be holding multiple movie nights the whole year round, and various special events, such as Japanese cooking, tea ceremonies, flower arranging and whatever else people want to try out. If you’re interested please contact the USJS here: www. f a c e b o o k . c o m /g r o u p s / salfordjapanese orvia email at ussujapanese@gmail.com. You can join here: www. salfordstudents.com/japanese
Greek traditional dancers Mark Horbury If you like active entertainment, enjoyable exercise, and cultural dancing, greek traditional dance is certainly an activity for you. Well-being and socialisation are increased through dance, and therefore one becomes happier in everyday life. Our lessons take place every Monday, from 18:00 to 20:00 in the Allerton Building Main Hall, Frederick Road campus. Two hours in which you can relax and offer yourselves the chance to travel back in ancient times. The music melody of an orchestra used to be accompanied by rhythmic moves of the body back in 1000 B.C. The rhythms and motives of ancient Greek civilisation are still utilised by the variant kinds of Greek contemporary
Fluid circus skills Bryony Pearce Sports Editor
FLUID is a newly established circus skills society. It not only incorporates circus skills, but is one of only a few students’ union groups in the North West that offers acrobatics too. Members of FLUID would like to invite you to join them this year. Whether you’re a beginner or not, everyone is welcome. The society meet up every Thursday evening in the Allerton Building, and divide their sessions into acrobatics, skill sharing, and different skills workshops every week. As well as using the university facilities, the group regularly use the Circus House in Manchester for additional classes and skill sharing. This year the society plans to makes trips and adventures to help all members improve at the skills they want to learn
too. With membership at just £5 per year, why not sign up today and trying something completely different! Circus skills and acrobatics are a great way to stay active, keep
the mind active, built co-ordination, and most of all, have fun! For more information get in touch with the FLUID team via email at USSUfluid@gmail. com.
dance. The variety of them is huge and they are differentiated based on the country’s provinces: Cretan, Pontiac, Macedonian, Thrakiotika, Insular (from islands), and so on. Every individual dance comprises of its own steps, its own particular music piece, as well as other versions of itself. Dance pieces are divided into two main categories, the Syrtos (crawling steps) and Pidichtos (jumping steps), and every dance has a specific theme. Predominant music instruments of the dance pieces are the violin, lyre, santur, lute, clarinet, tabor, and tambourine. If you want to know more about Greek Traditional Dances, come to our Group and experience them!
Get involved with Shock Radio
Ríain McAuley After a brief break from broadcasting last year we’re back with what is set to be the biggest year in Shock Radio history. A lot of blood, sweat and elbow grease has gone into getting the station back up and running, with the finish line in sight we’re missing one vital element of a great station, YOU. If you’re interested in getting involved in our Radio Station in any way shape or form, then come to our Opening Meeting on Tuesday 25 September at 8pm in University House. From there
we’ll tell you what you need to do to apply for a show and how you can get involved in working behind the scenes. We’ll also be announcing the winners of our Voice of the Station competition for those of you that joined in on that during Activities Fair. To keep up to date with everything we’ve got going on at the station like our page ‘www. facebook.com/shockradio’ or follow us on twitter ‘@ShockRadio’. For any specific queries give me an email ‘Manager@ShockRadio. co.uk’. Keep an eye out for our before and after article charting the rebirth of the studio, in a ‘Salfordian’ near you soon.
Sports & Activities: 32
ISSUE 02 / 24 SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW.SALFORDSTUDENTS.COM
Activities V Sports Two groups go head to head! Who wins? You decide.
Chess club Fiza Ikram Club secretary
How has your activity group enhanced your experience at university? I have always wanted to join a chess club especially at university, mainly because of the convenience. I can finish lectures and go straight to chess club. It’s a nice experience with other members who share the same interest and are willing to teach you how to play and exchange tactics. And I have met some lovely people. Why would you recommend others to take up chess? Chess, as we all know is
mentally stimulating. So, it’s nice to play after a stressful week in Uni. I feel it’s a great way to wind down and chess is not just for GEEKS! I’m a beginner who joined the club not knowing even the names of the pieces and now you’ll find me able to play chess against someone even though I’m still learning. People look at me and instantly assume I’m not the ‘type’ of girl who they would see interested in chess. But that just shows, it really is for anyone. Do you compete regularly? I’m still a beginner so just friendly matches for now. We’re hoping to line up some friendly matches against Manchester
Cricket team University in the next few months though. If you could describe your activity in three words, what would they be? Logical, challenging and joyful. When and where do you meet? We meet every Thursday from 7.30pm onwards in Boardroom 2 in the students’ union. I’m the secretary now of the society so if anyone has any queries then do not hesitate to contact me on f.ikram@edu.salford.ac.uk. To find out more visit www,ussuchessclub.tumblr. com
Sports taster week Bryony Pearce Sports Editor
Salford is giving you the opportunity to try out all of the sports groups for free this week in aid of ‘Sports taster week’. From 24 to the 30 September, simply turn up to any sports group’s session and take part free of charge to see if it’s right for you. The Students’ Union offers an impressive variety of 34 sports, ranging from fencing and ultimate frisbee, to netball and football, the university covers it all! For a list of all the sports on offer, check out the sports section on the Students’ Union website: www.salfordstudents. com Whether you are a complete beginner or have played before, do not hesitate to come on down, everyone is welcome. Sports groups are not only a great way to keep fit and healthy, but they also provide the opportunity to make a whole new group of friends with their vibrant social aspects too.
Don’t think you can commit to a sports group for a whole semester? The Give Sport A Go scheme is your answer! This programme offers drop in sessions throughout the year, covering 11 different sports. You can play as little or as often you like to fit around other commitments, and again, all abilities are welcomed. If you want to get involved in
the ‘Sports taster week’, you can browse the full range of sports, plus when and where they meet at the following address: www.salfordstudents.com/files/ salfordsport-groups.jpg. For more information on the Give Sport A Go scheme, visit: www. salfordstudents.com/gsag Don’t miss out on your chance to try a bit of everything with no costs for one week only, get involved!
Wilf Reeve Club captain
How has your sports group enhanced Uni experience? My university experience wouldn’t have been half as good as it was without the cricket club. The club gave me the chance to meet lots of people, enjoy fantastic socials, and play and train regularly in international standard facilities. Why would you recommend others to take up cricket? The cricket club is a very open and friendly club. All abilities are represented, from those that haven’t ever picked up a bat to those that have represented county teams. Cricket as a sport is something that people should
be very keen to get involved in. What other sport offers you the chance to only play in the sun with a break for lunch and tea? Do you compete regularly? With cricket being a summer sport it is difficult to fit many games into the university year. We definitely do our best though, last year we took part in an indoor winter league and that will be happening again this year. When it comes to the summer we run two teams, each of which take part in a BUCS league playing five games. Last year, for the first ever time, the cricket club went on tour. Two teams travelled to Devon for nine days for five games. If you could describe your
sport in three words, what would they be? Inclusive, friendly and fun. When & where do you train? We train every Wednesday afternoon meeting at 2 o’clock outside the University leisure centre on main campus. We travel to Lancashire County Cricket Club where we use the indoor school for a two hour session. This is the same indoor centre that the England team use when they are in the region. We are also fortunate to have a give sport a go session on a Monday afternoon that will run in semester one from 12 o’clock. For more information visit www.salfordstudents.com/ cricket