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FREE WEEKLY 04.05.2011 Funded by the Students’ Union

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100 years Terence Rattigan

Is our generation doomed?

University of Sussex will charge £9,000 fees Rebecca Loxton The University of Sussex has announced its plans to charge the full £9,000 in tuition fees from the next academic year.

The university’s governing body made the decision on Friday 25 March, around the time that the majority of UK universities also announced their intentions to raise their tuition fees to the same amount. Under the new legislation, £9,000 is the maximum universities are allowed to charge.

Sussex University Students’ Union has expressed its regret regarding the university’s decision about tuition fees: “University of Sussex Students’ Union finds it deeply regrettable that Sussex has joined a long list of universities charging £9,000. The Union is critical of government cuts that have caused an increasing privatisation of Higher Education and calls for free education for all. For several years the Union has lobbied the University to do what it can to offset the government’s regressive Higher Education reform.

“As a part of this, the Union worked with the University to create a scheme for widening access above and beyond what has been set elsewhere in the sector. We will not stop campaigning for complete equality of access to Higher Education.We believe this can only be achieved through free Higher Education funded through progressive taxation.”

The decision to charge £9,000 per year has raised fears that students from poorer families will be dissuaded from applying to universities such as Sussex where they will face such a high cost for their degree. The University maintains that students from poor backgrounds will not be at a disadvantage when it comes to meeting

tuition fee costs. The government will provide students with loans to cover their fees, which they will begin to repay only when they are earning over £21,000.

Third-year Sussex student, Harry, says he would have reconsidered his decision to apply to university had he faced such high fees at the time he embarked on his degree.

“I don’t think it’s fair that we have to pay so much money for our education, and I think it’s really off-putting for students whose families aren’t in a position to help them out financially while they’re studying. The £3,000 a year current students are being charged is already a lot of money, and my friends and I are all worried about how much debt we’re going to be in. £9,000 a year is just ridiculous.

Higher education should be free, and it’s unfair to saddle young people with debt before they’ve even started their working lives.”

However, Sussex student, Olivia, believes the hike in university fees is a positive step: “I don’t think the rise in tuition fees is a bad thing. The number of people going to university nowadays means the graduate market is completely saturated and degrees are being devalued because every man and his dog have one. If the high tuition fees puts off those who are just going to university for the sake of it, that can only be a good thing.”

Sussex University has announced it will introduce a scholarship which will benefit students from low-income backgrounds and those who are first in their family to go to university.

The Students’ Union President, Cameron Tait, said: “Sweeping government cuts have unacceptably passed the financial burden onto individual students, meaning

students will leave university with unprecedented levels of debt.

“However, we have worked closely with the University to design a comprehensive support package to enable students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds to come to study at Sussex. The innovative scheme is named First Generation Scholars and will offer support to students before, during and after university.

The University states that: ‘The scheme is designed to ensure that the University continues to attract and support talented students, irrespective of their personal background.’

Financial support will include a bursary of at least £1,000 a year paid directly to the student as well as a rent reduction of £50 a week. Students benefiting from the scheme will also have the opportunity to attend a free summer school to help prepare them for university, and will be given a helping hand when looking for work experience, an invaluable CV boost in the increasingly competitive graduate job market.

Commenting on universities’ decision to raise their tuition fees to £9,000 and voicing the concerns of the students he represents, NUS President Aaron Porter said: ‘When the government forced these ill-considered plans through parliament they claimed that fees above £6,000 would be the exception rather than rule, but that was quite clearly a pipe dream. This process is nothing more than one of rubber stamping vice chancellors’ attempts to charge as much as they can get away with.”

Porter warned that the proposed hike in tuition fees for higher education would cause ‘irreparable damage to universities’ and urged government ministers to reconsider their legislation.

Vice-Chancellor Michael Farthing has been appointed to serve five more years

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In pictures: Brighton basks in unexpected April heat

Top left: Seafront chip shop burnt after catching on fire. Above left and Right: Students enjoying sunny days on the beach.

Photos: Polina Belehhova

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Editors-in-chief Juliet Conway Eleanor Griggs badger@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

News editors Raziye Akkoc Jamie Askew Inês Klinesmith Sam Brodbeck

badger-news@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Features editors Kieran Burn Joe Jamieson badger-features@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Comment editor Marcelle Augarde badger-opinion@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Letters editor Rosie Pearce badger-letters@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Arts editor-in-chief Olivia Wilson badger-artspages@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Arts editors Joseph Preston Louise Ronnestad Lucy Atkinson Lily Rae Wanjiru Kariuki Jessie Thompson Harry Yeates Samantha Graham Sophie Moonshine Bella Cockrell

Listings editor Olivia James

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Science editors Natasha Agabalyan Thomas Lessware badger-science@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Photo editors Polina Belehhova

Sports editors Matt Stroud Ben Denton

Sub-editors Luke Guinness Sydney Sims Barnaby Suttle

Students’ Union Communications Officer

Sol Schonfield communications@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

The Badger holds weekly open writers’ meetings Fridays, 1.30pm Falmer House, Room 126

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Five more years: VC to stay in role until 2017 Sophie Bishop The University of Sussex Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, has been re-appointed for a second five-year term. Mr Farthing was first appointed in September 2007.

He comes from a medical background and since 2007 he has been President of the British Society of Gastroenterology. Professor Farthing’s current five-year contract expires at the end of August 2012 and his new appointment lasts until September 2017.

During Professor Farthing’s time at Sussex he has implemented a strategic plan for the university: ‘Making The Future’.

This plan focuses on bringing international students by creating new programmes in business and management. He has created an Enterprise Development Fund, and is focusing on building new accommodation and academic buildings as well as reorganizing management across the University’s schools.

According to the 2009 updatefrom Making The Future the number of fee-paying international students increased by 54% from 2008 to 2009, bringing more

revenue from their fees.

The update also highlights the development of the new academic buildings as “fulfilling the goals and missions of the University” by strengthening the staff and student experience. Although Professor Farthing highlights these as successes for the University he has been a controversial figure during his time at Sussex.

Following an emergency meeting in March 2010 the University of Sussex Students’ Union noted: “Cuts to USSU’s block grant will not allow the union to provide adequate services and representation for the student body.”

Following this the 2010 meeting proposed a motion of “no confidence in the Vice-Chancellor’s executive group” passed by the largest meeting the Union has ever held. The Students’ Union declined to comment on his reappointment. Tom Wills, former SU president, current third-year student and member of Stop The Cuts said: “Michael Farthing epitomises the transformation of the university from a public service to a private enterprise. Since he arrived, tuition fees have trebled, the government has cut our

Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar and Professor Farthing. Photo: sussex.ac.uk funding and over a hundred staff have lost their jobs. He could have spoken out but instead he made the problems worse by splashing out on new buildings and appointing more and more managers who, like him, draw six-figure salaries while our education suffers”.

Despite these controversies Simon Fanshawe, chair of the Council - the University’s governing body - made a recommendation to Council this week that the ViceChancellor should be reappointed.

“I am delighted that Michael will

be serving a further term and leading Sussex in the challenging work that lies ahead,” said Mr Fanshawe.

Professor Farthing said: “I lookforward to continuing to lead our university at this important juncture in its life.

“The best part of being ViceChancellor at Sussex is working with the talented students and staff, all of whom are making a difference through their intelligence, integrity and commitment.

I would not be anywhere else.”

students with jobs.

“We look forward to a long and successful partnership.”

It was estimated that the Union would have lost £130,000 if the bid had been unsuccessful. The York House store and the Union newsa-

accepted by the University after it decided that the supermarket was too big to be run independently by the Union.

The new supermarket will take over the space occupied by McColl’s supermarket, post office, Baguette Express, the Union newsagents and toilets.

These services will close as work begins in the summer term to prepare the building for use.

A new post office and newsagent will form part of the development.

The University have said that the Co-op’s “Fairtrade products, local produce and other fresh food… will complement the revamped café and restaurant facilities on the ground and first floors of Bramber House.”

Minimum opening hours during term time will be 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday (8am to 10pm on Sundays) and 8am to 9pm Monday to Saturday (8.30am to 9pm on Sundays) over the University holidays.

A possible future frustration for the Students’ Union looms as although it will be licensed to run and staff the store, the Union will be required to waive its right over what products it stocks.

Coca-Cola and Israeli goods will potentially be sold as the Union boycott will have no power in the Co-op shop.

Co-op and Union will run new campus shop Sam Brodbeck News editor Bramber House’s supermarket will be occupied by the Students’ Union and the Southern Co-operative when it opens in the summer, it has been announced. Out of a shortlist of three the joint venture was judged by the University to be the best fit for the 3,500 sq ft site.

There was confusion at the end of the spring term when, on the 11 March, the University announced that the Co-op was the sole winner on its website and The Bulletin newsletter.

The Students’ Union made an informal agreement with the Co-op during the bidding stage and assumed that the University failing to fully mention them in their statement meant they were being sidestepped.

In response the Union refused to sign a contract agreeing to the vacation of the doomed shops until assurances were made that compensation would be offered for the loss of income. Fortunately for both parties the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.

The Co-op has since revealed that legal requirements following the university’s offer meant that they could not publicly discuss any of their arrangements. Steve Tremlett, head of retail business

development at The Southern Cooperative said: “We have now signed Heads of Terms with the University and have agreed the principles of the operation with the Students’ Union.”

“The Southern Co-operative…

The Southern Co-operative is the perfect match for us in terms of values and ethics is the perfect match for us in terms of values and ethics,” said Students’ Union President Cameron Tait, “we are absolutely delighted.”

He added that despite the initial confusion he was satisfied that the Co-op acted correctly throughout the bidding and announcement process. Tait also said that the Co-op was the only retailer bidding for the campus contract that “was committed to working with the students’ union and supporting

gent in Bramber House are closing so as not to break competition law when the new supermarket opens, leaving a sudden drop in revenue that would have drastically limited student services.

Bramber House is undergoing extensive redevelopment to its ground and first floors, which has been part of the University’s ‘Catering Strategy’ since 2009 when £9 million was set aside. In November 2010 bids began to be

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Sussex Police reject ‘unjustified’ violence claim at student protest Emma Aston A report by three academics concluded that Sussex Police used a “disproportionate and unjustified” level of violence against students during the two student protests that took place in Brighton last year.

“Many young protesters were pushed by police officers and some were pulled, thrown, hit and punched”, according to the report, which was later criticised for not being balanced or including the police in its research.

School, college and university students took to the streets last November in protest against the Government’s plans to raise university tuition fees, decrease public funding to universities and scrap the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA).

The two protests took place on 24 and 30 November 2010 in the centre of Brighton.

The march on 24 November drew around 2,500 people, with a police officer for every ten protesters, and

the second on 30 November attracted 1,500, with an increased police presence of one officer for every six protesters. A combined total of eleven arrests were made: eight children and one adult.

The report, written by Dr. Louise Purbrick, an academic from the University of Brighton and University of Sussex’s lecturers Dr. Tom Akehurst and Dr. Lucy Robinson, based their conclusions on 20 first-hand accounts, 35 videos, 230 photographs and Twitter.

Sussex Police have condemned the report, questioning its methodology and “academic rigour” as they claimed that their request to be involved with the research was ignored.

Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett, Brighton and Hove City Police Commander commented: “We take very seriously our legal and moral duties to carefully balance people’s right to peacefully protest with our duty to protect the public.

“We are extremely disappointed that the same balance has not been applied to the undertaking of this research.”

The report itself alleges that police “mistreated” and used forms of “collective punishment” on children.

‘Kettling’, the controversial containment technique, and violence were also highlighted as causing confrontation and creating “the cir-

treated younger people differently to the adults that were present: “Police officers showed less consideration for the security and dignity of young persons than of adults, often refusing to communicate with younger demonstrators and using physical force

Many young protesters were pushed by police officers and some were hit and punched cumstances […] that can lead to arrest.”

Eight ‘kettles’ were attempted, with six being established, and the academics estimate that of the 1,400 contained, “the majority were under eighteen years of age and a large proportion were under sixteen years old.”

The report claims that police

against them disproportionately”.

Those contained by the police were made to supply their personal details as a condition of being allowed out.

This is justified under Section 50 of Police Reform Act 2002 and is taken by the authors to be a criminalisation of “children’s involvement in the political culture of protest”.

The report also criticised the forced

filming of minors, which is prohibited without their consent.

The release of this report came a week before the High Court ruled that the use of ‘kettling’, during the 2009 G20 protests in London, was unlawful and a student from Brighton sued the Metropolitan police after being contained for more than nine hours without food or drink during the December student protests in London.

Rosie Bergonzi, 17, claims that by being ‘kettled’ her right not to be deprived arbitrarily of her liberty, right to freedom of expression and right to freedom of assembly were breached.

Liberty,a pro-civil liberties pressure group, attended the latest anti-cuts protest in London on March 26, in order to give an objective account of police tactics used when dealing with large-scale protests, after the bigger student protests in London attracted negative media attention. They were mostly positive, citing the violent minority infiltrators as the cause of most of the trouble.

UCU members strike against pension changes and job cuts Ellen Willis On 22 and 24 March 2011, strikes took place on campus after the University and College Union (UCU) voted early in March to take steps to protect their salaries, pensions, and job security.

The plans for action including strikes were formed after it was announced that greater pension contributions from staff and an increase in the pension age, as well as a second consecutive drop in annual pay in real terms, would be imminent this year.

The strikes happened across the UK on Thursday 24 March.

Their faculty was joined by those from the University of Brighton, City College Brighton and Hove, Northbrook College in Worthing, Chichester College, the University of Chichester, Central Sussex College and Sussex Downs College, showing solidarity in a bid to raise awareness of their plight.

The Government’s plans for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme could cut up to a cumulative £852 million from pension plans, and nationally 40,000 are at risk of redundancy.

On March 18, the University of Sussex Students’ Union issued a statement asking pupils: “Please do not cross the picket line even if it means using the Library.

“Students and staff will be collecting funds to support the strikers (who do not receive wages on strike days) and students will be providing food for the picketers on Tuesday 22.”

Protesters took to the picket line at 7:30am on March 24 and stayed until around 2:30pm.

This date fell within the Easter vacation and so, for many students, the action was not a disturbance in any way. In fact, the protests were met with student solidarity. Many students were on the picket line supporting the strike as well as elected Students’ Union sabbatical officers.

A spokesman from the University of Sussex Students’ Union said: “In supporting them we see our biggest hope of saving higher education from the threatened position that it is in now.”

Brighton and Hove City College suspended classes to allow for students to lend their support.

The National Union of Students (NUS) also supported the action.

Members of the UCU organised various strikes and protests over the last year in order to fight against redundancies and financial cuts at Sussex and Brighton, and national, universities.

In March last year, staff and students at Sussex were involved in strikes and protests opposing the loss of over a hundred jobs to proposed redundancies.

In May 2010, further protests, including a march from the Level to the seafront which culminated in a rally against the job cuts, were organised and attended by both faculty and students of the Universities of Brighton and Sussex.

At the time, the representative for Sussex UCU, Paul Cecil, said: “Staff at Sussex have been left with little

option but to strike today. Over 100 staff are at risk of imminent redundancy notices and further cuts have already been announced which would seriously damage the quality

of education we can offer current and prospective students .

The city centre protests demonstrate that the cuts we are facing are vehemently opposed by the wider

Students, Students’ Union Officers join UCU lecturers. Photo: Tom Wills

community.”

This year, action has continued as staff and students maintain their disappointment and disapproval regarding the proposed cuts.

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Police called to campus Students are in Joel Stagg An alleged incident of campusbased prostitution was reported to Sussex Police by the University of Sussex in mid-March.

The matter was immediately referred to the police. It revolved around the use of a room on campus as a brothel.

Adverts had been placed on an internet escort site by two women – Sylvy, 21, and Rosie, 37. They were offering sexual services, both individually and as a pair, with a room on the university campus as the destination for any interested clients.

The police statement issued fol-

lowing the investigation found no evidence of any criminal offence being committed.

The university continued to reassure concerned students:“There was no suggestion that any student here was working as a prostitute, nor that students or staff were being placed at risk. As the landlord of the property concerned, we have looked at whether there is any evidence of the tenancy agreement being breached and would take appropriate steps if necessary.

“As far as we are aware, this is the first time that any such allegation has been made in relation to university accommodation.”

Prostitution itself is not illegal in the UK but keeping a brothel – having more than one individual available in the same place for paid sex – is. Current laws also target pimping and soliciting sex in public.

The laws are complex due to a lack of public support towards full illegality due to the difficulty in then enforcing it, and the police resources required to do so.

Additionally, organisations like the English Collective of Prostitutes campaign for progressive laws to be implemented in aid of decriminalisation and greater safety and support for those involved.

for a mumpy ride Sarah Morgan A rise in confirmed cases of mumps were reported on campus over the Easter holidays.

It is unknown whether the threat is serious a month on, but the University Health Centre is advising students to exercise caution.

The University of Sussex said: “If you feel unwell or are unsure whether you have been immunised, please contact your GP’s surgery for advice.

You are also advised that, if you have suspected mumps, you should avoid mixing with other people for five days from the onset of the swelling.

“Immunisations are free to all NHS registered patients and are available from your GP’s surgery, whether that

be the Health Centre on campus or elsewhere.”

Mumps can result in serious complications and the swelling of the neck glands is unpleasant in most cases.

Students are in a high risk category when it comes to such a contagious infection as they are in close contact with so many young people.

The University Health Centre states that to be properly protected two doses of the MMR vaccine are required. The second dose is not necessary in all cases, it is merely a ‘second chance’ in case the first dose did not work, but it is advisable, if you are unsure, to check into your medical history.

For Health Centre Appointments and Enquiries contact 01273 249049.

Sussex wrongly welcomes applicants via e-mail Sussex Uni in top Raziye Akkoc News editor

The University of Sussex incorrectly sent out e-mails welcoming applicants to the university.

Several thousand people received the e-mail in April in which they were welcomed by the School of Education and Social Work, but hours later were informed in another e-mail of the apparent error.

Many receiving the e-mails had not applied to the school, and some were current and former students of the university.

The University of Sussex empha-

sised that the e-mail did not contain information pertaining to an offer of a place and that most would realise the information was incorrect and unintended for them.

The university further commented: “The error arose while new enquiries systems were being tested. We acted immediately to recall the email and to correct any misunderstanding that had occurred.

“People then opening their emails on Friday morning would have seen the recall email in their inboxes first, which made clear the original email was a mistake and was in any case not an official offer of a place.

“Our offers are made to candidates in the normal way through UCAS for undergraduate applicants, and by a formal letter from our admissions team for postgraduates.

“Of those who replied to us, most did so with good humour and understanding, since it was so clearly a mistake coming to them from one particular school of studies unconnected with their own subject of study.”

The Argus reported on 20 April that one unhappy applicant received the e-mail and informed her family of the news. The unnamed prospective student also informed her employers that she would be leaving her job.

UniTV scoops 3 National Student Television awards Rachel O’Brien The online television channel, UniTV has achieved recognition in three of the 21 categories at the National Student Television Association (NaSTA) Awards 2011.

Competing against 17 nominees, UniTV, one of many University of Sussex Students’ Union societies, scooped the first place prize for the new category, Best Freshers’ Coverage.

Their award-winning video, just under 15 minutes long, featured nine presenters covering events such asThe Sunday Welcome Party and Brightonian Nights in Freshers’ week 2010.

The opening sequence of the video, created by Alex Anpilogov and Maksim Ivanov, also achieved first place in the category Best Title Sequence.

The third award: the runner-up prize in the Open Category, was received for the pilot episode of the channel’s regular feature: ‘Society Spotlight’, which showcases a different Sussex Society in every episode.

The episode which received high recommendation gave an insight into the Human vs Zombies society with interviews from its members and action footage of the tag-based game.

UniTV describe their style as similar to that of MTV and were established in September 2010.

The two day conference and

awards ceremony, held at Loughborough University on the 8-10 April, was attended by over 300 people from 33 student television stations and judged by representatives from national media networks such as the BBC, Channel 4, Sky and ESPN. Sol Schonfield, the Communications Officer for the University of Sussex Students’ Union, summed up the union’s reaction to the awards: “We’re all incredibly happy that the amazing group at UniTV have had their work recognised. In one year they’ve changed the face of student media at Sussex and these awards have

gone further to confirming their talent.

This goes to show the importance of collaborative work at university and how students can achieve great things both in and outside the classroom.”

Other award winners included Leeds University Television (LSTV) who took seven awards including Best Broadcaster for the third year running and the live broadcasters of the two day event: Loughborough Students’ Union Television Station (LSUTV) who won six awards including Best Live Programme.

To watch UniTV’s award-winning videos, visit: www.unitvlive.com.

UniTV won three awards at the National Student Television Association (NaSTA) Awards 2011. Photo: facebook.com/unitvlive

20 in the Indy guide Rebecca Loxton For the second year in a row, the University of Sussex has been ranked as one of the UK’s top twenty universities by the Independent newspaper’s Complete University Guide.

Published on 18 April, the 20112012 guide to UK universities placed the Sussex at number 19 overall.

Universities are ranked across nine categories, including entry requirements, student satisfaction, quality of research and graduate prospects.

Sussex’s student satisfaction score places the university in the top 10 nationally for this category. Sussex has also climbed the subject tables: 12 of its subjects are ranked in the top ten nationally, compared to eight of its subjects in 2010-11.

Subjects which have made it into the top ten include American studies (3rd in the country), History of Art & Architecture (6th place), Anatomy and Physiology (7th) and German

and Italian (7th and 8th respectively).

Physics and Astronomy has climbed eleven places, now ranked as 9th best nationally compared to 20th in the guide published in 2010.

Several subjects have made it into the top 20, including English, Spanish, History, Chemistry and Music, while Law, French and Economics were among subjects ranked in the top 25 nationally.

The university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Farthing said: “These results demonstrate Sussex’s continuing strong position in challenging times. Our students benefit from excellent teaching, as shown by the high number of subjects ranked in the top twenty, and I am delighted to see that we have risen to joint third place for student satisfaction.”

The league table ranks the university above other renowned universities such as Sheffield, Manchester, UEA and Royal Holloway.

Liam Burns is new NUS President Jonathan Coward

Liam Burns has been elected the 55th president of the National Union of Students (NUS).

He is due to take office on the 1 July and will replace Aaron Porter, who decided last month not to stand for reelection.

Burns, 26, is a physics graduate and the current president of NUS Scotland.

He has proven to be a popular leader amongst students across the border. In April’s election he beat NUS vice-president Shane Chowen to the top national role in the last round of voting.The final result was 446 preferences to 279.

Some have questioned whether a student who has never had to pay tuition fees is an appropriate choice, representing a student body who will soon be charged up to £9,000 a year. Burns however has expressed his concern for students nationally, and described the coalition as “a government that is hostile to young people”, regarding their cuts to higher education.

He has also spoken regretfully about the NUS’ poor and sometimes lacking support for the recent student protests, telling the Guardian that, “NUS made the wrong call on our handling of emerging grassroots campaigns.

When students peacefully occupied their university buildings, the union was not clear enough about how and if we could support that action”.

Burns wishes to ‘marry’ the lobbying efforts of the NUS with direct action and has been explicit in his opposition to the possibility of a fall in student numbers.

Sussex sent four delegates to the NUS conference, with the University of Sussex Students’ Union stating that “all...delegates were vocal in their support of Mark Bergfeld for President”.

Cameron Tait, Students’ Union President, stated, “Liam has said he will battle commercialisation in education and put liberation campaigns at the heart of the NUS and I hope he can fulfill these promises.”

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On belonging to a lost generation

Even after thousands of young people marched through London against cuts, the Tories are still committed to their austerity plans, which are in danger of consigning a whole generation to ruin Kieran Burn Features editor Right now is not a good time to belong to my generation; right now, it is not a good time to be a teenager or a young adult in Britain – particularly if, like myself, you are choosing or have chosen to progress onto further and higher education, or if you have currently graduated from school, college or university and are attempting to embark upon a career.

Most of us voted for the first time last May, and a fair proportion of us placed our faith in the ‘alternative’ – the Liberal Democrats. The very same Party who proceeded to jump into bed with Mr Cameron and his cronies to prop up what is essentially a Tory government, facilitating the railroading through Parliament of policies which are the diametric opposite of those which we were pledged pre-election.

We are entering into adulthood at a time of austerity. Worse, the most brutal of swathing public sector cuts are targeted, directly and indirectly, at the young and the lower-classes.

Who knows why? Of one thing, though, I think we can be certain: these cuts are born of political ideology, not economic necessity. On the contrary, celebrated economists like Keynes agree that the only way out of a deficit is to grow one’s way out of it.To stimulate growth, one must invest – slashing spending will have the opposite effect, as demonstrated by the Republic of Ireland and as reflected in our own financial ‘progress’ – or lack thereof – which Mr Osborne tenaciously blamed on the snow.

The fact is, the Tories have always been committed to shrinking the State and are now propagating a myth - that the only way out of this deficit is to cut, cut, cut and cut again – to legitimise an agenda which, to quote one Tory minister, ‘Thatcher could only have dreamed of”.

As a result, my generation is needlessly being forced to bear the brunt of a recession we had no part in. For it was not we who dodged our taxes or borrowed more than we could afford. None of us maxed out our credit cards or awarded ourselves astronomical bonuses. This is not our

to hoodwink us into believing that a few crummy bursaries will mitigate the effect of this extortionate sum, but we all know that this ideological move is pricing prospective students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds out of the market. They are too afraid to plunge themselves into debt when they have little guarantee of a job at the end of it all, with the ConDem

peaceful demonstrations, they may as well be imaginary. My generation has been silenced.History has taught us that marching poses no threat whatsoever to the government and it will not budge their plans; we can protest within the rule of law until the Second Coming arrives before it will achieve anything.

The rule of law does not work in our favour while it is maintained by a bunch

Mindless thugs or victims of the political system? Photo: Bristol Anarchist Book Collective budget stifling economic growth and rocketing youth unemployment to record levels as young people compete with experienced public sector workers who have been made redundant for the few job vacancies that are actually out there.

In the midst of this austerity comes news of scandalous tax avoidance which the coalition has made glib promises to tackle, despite several central figures in the cabinet – including our aristocratic Chancellor of the Exchequer himself, the very man responsible for executing these savage cutbacks – allegedly being complicit in a bit of it themselves. Oh, but it’s all perfectly legal, of course. It would be, wouldn’t it?

The truth is that the Tories would

Nobody is asking: how did it come to this? mess; we did not bust the banks. But now, the ConDems are busting us.

So far, the axe has fallen on the Future Jobs Fund, a scheme designed to help young people find work; EMA has also bitten the dust, to be replaced by a scheme with a fraction of its budget, and the 24 percent cut from the central government grant to local authorities has resulted in councils slashing funding for Connexions.

Further, the cuts to education alone exceed £620 million.

From 2012, university fees are set to treble to £27,000 for a three-year course as the coalition mercilessly pulls the plug on public funding to higher education. Worse, this change has nothing to do with the deficit; according to the Chancellor, it will be dealt with before this scheme will have properly begun. The coalition is trying

swift passage through Parliament.

Surely, this would leave you feeling disenfranchised and excluded from a political system that has completely ignored you protest the decimation of higher education.

The coalition pulled the rug out from underneath us and kicked us hard to keep us down there. It’s where they want us to stay. And so anger turns to

have Sir Philip Green, their taxdodging ‘efficiency’ advisor, keep the excess of £285 million he owes the public purse; unless forced, they will do nothing to retrieve the £25 billion taxdodgers deprive the Treasury of each year. They would rather push through an extra £25 billion worth of cuts and they would rather make the little people pay for their crisis because it is in both their personal interest and ideological interest to do so.

Understandably, people – particularly young people – are angry.

And who can blame us? When tens of thousands of students, many of whom voted Lib Dem, demonstrated in London to pressure MPs into sticking to the pledge they made to oppose any increases in tuition fees, they voted for them anyway. Not only that, they were instrumental in facilitating the bill’s

rage.

The Home Secretary had been defending the right to ‘peaceful protest’.

But now, she’s singing from a different hymn sheet.When windows are broken and shop-fronts graffitied; when pyres are lit and activists engage in skirmishes with police, something became clear to Ms May and the rest of the coalition.

Rage has radicalised a whole generation in a very short space of time. The fact is that no politician has ever given us any reason to have any faith that the democratic process can work for us; there is no reason to feel that we can have any impact on the government’s decisions, no matter how many of us march. And we have no reason to believe that Parliament cares about our opinion, and no-one in power has ever done anything to demonstrate that either of the coalition Parties give a proverbial about the young or the working-class people that they are consigning to ruin.

But we have every reason to believe the opposite. This is a generation that reached adolescence around the time thatTony Blair was leading the UK into a war against Iraq; something which went ahead regardless of the tens of thousands of people marching against it in London in 2003.

It was truly inspiring to see these scenes recreated on March 26, when half a million people from all walks of life marched through London to appeal to the government’s better nature.

But some of us know the truth: Mr Cameron and Co. don’t have a better nature. Bluntly, the entire population of Britain could march in a line from A to B in a designated protest area under the steely glare of the government stooges formerly known as the Metropolitan Police before anyone in Parliament will consider any alternative.

For all the government is listening to

of aristocratic millionaires who are more interested in helping their friends hoard their fortunes than caring for the basic needs and interests of the people who elected them; the ones they are supposed to be representing. Instead, they are singing their praises to a ‘brave’, truncheon-wielding police force who, at their command, are battering in the skulls of unarmed demonstrators upon the tiniest provocation – or none at all. What’s more, all sides of the mainstream political spectrum are condemning the ‘violent anarchists’ of the Black Bloc in a tone of contempt they normally reserve for the BNP, while lamenting the vandalism to a couple of defenceless shop-fronts over the police violence administered upon kids, many of whom had no part in anything other than a peaceful march through London.

Politicians, the vandals of the public sector, bear the responsibility for this radicalisation; this disenfranchisement, and yet write off these frustrated young people who a mere year ago were plain and ordinary, just like you and just like me. People who voted Lib Dem; who held onto optimism; who held onto a hope. They have now been cast aside and ignored by a system that has dumped onto their shoulders the debt of the previous generation, and are deplored when they rebel against it, when they lash out. But is it any wonder at all that they are driven to target taxdodging corporations by vandalising their shop-fronts? What else are they supposed to do? The government isn’t doing anything about it; is it any wonder that civil disobedience seems like the only way to make themselves heard?

Over recent months, it has become stunningly obvious that these austerity measures – the ones that they have dreamt of for decades; the ones that

make them salivate – are threatened not by marches, nor by demos, but by direct action. The question is: what kind of direct action is needed?

I think that the treatment and media portrayal of the ‘violent’ demonstrators has been disgustingly misrepresentative, with MPs labeling them as ‘mindless thugs’, making no attempt to analyse why they have articulated their frustration in this way and failing to consider that the ‘thuggery’ was specifically targeted at tax-dodging companies, and with no-one asking how on Earth it came to this. But it has to be said that these tactics are counter-productive. Iconic though the images of March 26 are, vandalism of this magnitude plays directly into the Tories’ hands. It makes it possible for the establishment to amalgamate peaceful direct action with aggressive direct action, allowing the media to utterly discredit the anticuts movement as vicious and violent, alienating ordinary people who would otherwise become actively involved in anti-cuts campaigns.

Take the demonisation of UK Uncut – a campaign group targeting tax-dodging corporations – following March 26’s mass arrest during the Fortnum and Mason’s occupation, moments after a senior police officer described their protest as ‘sensible’ before luring them outside where they were handcuffed.

UK Uncut had managed to articulate its frustration peacefully, in far more sophisticated manner than the Black Bloc did. Therefore, it appealed to the masses with its effective tactics, which have involved occupying a Boots store and turning it into a makeshift‘hospital’.

Tactics so effective, it seems, that an order to arrest them for ‘aggravated trespass’ (whilst a few hundred metres away, high street stores and banks were being desecrated) is rumoured to have came from the very top and accusations of politically-motivated policing are rife. The only conclusion to be made is that the powers that be were threatened, that UK Uncut was deliberately targeted and that the 138 are political prisoners.

Their demonisation continued in the House of Commons in the days following the events as the Prime Minister called on a number of Labour MPs to withdraw their support from UK Uncut. This repression epitomises the class struggle. Mr Cameron is worried that he has met his match; UK Uncut are being targeted because they pose a real, fundamental threat to his austerity programme and to the established order.

All in all, it’s arguable as to whether March 26 did the anti-cuts movement a disservice or not. But what it did do was provide a glimmer of hope: it demonstrated that the establishment has a weakness and UK Uncut are claiming the credit for the announcement on March 28 of an investigation into corporate tax avoidance by Parliament’s Treasury select committee. The government has also halted its plans for radical NHS reforms.

For now, this is just a drop in the ocean, but if we are ever going to bring the Tories’ austerity programme crashing down around their ears, it is a weakness we must continue to exploit before our generation is truly lost. May the struggle continue.

response

Student Media Office Falmer House University of Sussex Brighton BN1 9QF

04.05.11

Views expressed in the Badger are not representative of the views of the USSU, the University of Sussex, or the Badger. Every effort has been made to contact the holders of copyright for any material used in this issue, and to ensure the accuracy of this week’s stories.

Please contact the Communications Officer if you are aware of any omissions or errors.

letters and emails

Bike theft

Brighton Festival

Yours,

Dear Sir/Madam,

Dear Sir/Madam,

Veronica Taylor

My recent run-ins with bike thefts have really started to see change in my opinion about the Brighton and Sussex campuses being safe and friendly places.

Last term I had two securely locked bikes taken from bike racks around Brighton and was angered by the amount of fellow students who have also had this problem. I thought Brighton was an environmentally friendly city but the only recycling service it seems to be doing is re‘cycling’ our bikes.

I now have the dilemma of either buying another bike (but I am hesitant in case this occurs again), or my alternative is to catch the bus, but money and environmental reasons are making me reluctant to. As students we should look out for each other and tell these people where to shove it.

I hope I speak for a number of people when I say how pleased and excited I was to hear that the Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi is to be the Guest Director of this year’s Brighton festival.

The input of Ms Suu Kyi is sure to add an invaluable sense of multiculturalism and diversity to the festival, as well as enhancing its profile both nationally and internationally. Although at first I was rather surprised to hear of such a prominent political figure being asked to guest direct – particularly as it is a contrast from the previous choice of Brian Eno last year – in fact this seems an inspired and powerful choice.

In a personal message on the festival website, Ms Suu Kyi says that she believes even something as seemingly distant from her country and struggles as an arts festival on the south coast of England can help the cause of her people as it promotes freedom of speech and beliefs. We may take such events as this, with their vast variety of speakers, debates and shows, for granted, but in fact they demonstrate just how lucky we are.

Scanning the calendar of events for this year’s festival, it looks set to be a great mix of music, dance, visual arts and talks. What I like about the festival is the way in which it caters to everyone – there are crowd-pleasing concerts and open-air events alongside more challenging and even controversial debates and discussions. The announcement that Julian Assange is to be a headline speaker this year is one example of the festival’s commitment to maintaining its current and relevant position in the cultural calendar, which has continued for over fifty years.

I for one am very much looking forward to the events this year, which start on the 7th of May and continue for three weeks. I think we should make the most of an occasion which showcases the diversity of our city – it is definitely something to be proud of.

Assignment issues

The only service Brighton seems to be doing is re-‘cycling’ our bikes

As Queen once famously put it, “I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride my bicycle”. I certainly do…if only I had one to ride?!

Yours sincerely, Freddie

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Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my frustration about the habit of some tutors of setting work on extremely short notice.

As a student, I understand that lecturers have much work to balance, be it giving lectures and seminars, marking coursework or doing their own research. However, I also know that a certain standard is expected of me when it comes to time management and efficiency. I learn to organise my time because, if a deadline is set and I fail to meet it, my mark suffers.

So I find it somewhat unfair that, once my time has been organised around the work I’m due to hand in, I find myself burdened at the last minute with a piece of work due for the next day. While, thankfully, this never occurs with formal assessments, our tutors regularly remind us that all work, contributory or not, must be presented. If I find myself unable to complete the last-minute task, it is my record that suffers, as a consequence of my tutor’s inability to set work in good time.

Surely our tutors understand that at this stage in our education, and in particular at a time so late in the term, students have a lot of work to complete.

I also find that this practice encourages poor attendance, as some students would rather miss a seminar altogether than attend it and be reprimanded for failing to hand in an assignment. This, of course, again affects the student’s record in a negative way, as attendance (which seems to be taken for granted by many students) is quite highly valued by tutors.

Furthermore, I have been extremely frustrated by the length of time which it seems to take for some of us to receive our marks. For one particular essay that I handed in during week 7, it took nearly two months for me to receive my mark online. Regardless of tutors’ other responsilities, they have a duty to

comment and opinion

return our marks within a reasonable length of time, as we have kept to our deadline.

So, I call for our tutors to show the same organisation as is expected of us and consider that prioritising what could be a one minute task for them could save us some marks, some stress, and maybe some sleep.

Yours faithfully and flustered, Sadie Matheson

Stanmer Park Dear Sir/Madam, I may be a bit bitter what with having to stay inside writing a 3000 word report before beginning revision for looming exams while others enjoy the sunshine, but as an Ecology student at Sussex, I was kind of shocked at the irony the attached picture seems to represent.

Taken on the Bank holiday Monday of 25th of April as I was on my way to JMS to write the aforementioned report, it appears to represent the sad state of affairs that our obsession with the car as our primary mode of transport has led us to. In this case the result is turning a local nature reserve into something resembling a busy car park, which to me seems rather stupid.

The main reasons people visit nature reserves are to enjoy the open space

and get reconnected with nature; as a budding conservationist it is nice to know people are willing to go out of their way to do so. I am aware that a special event was on on the day (Springwatch) however by parking all over what people came to see are they not damaging the environment, degrading its aesthetic value and producing fumes that choke the rest of us in the process?

There are ample alternatives to get to Stanmer (and Sussex Uni.) with regular buses and trains as well as a fairly easy cycle route. On June the 5th for the next Springwatch event there will also be hourly Bike Trains running from Brighton to Stanmer Park between 9am and 1pm and return rides running between 2pm and 5pm. All are welcome and encouraged to join our safety in numbers cycling party on wheels to Stanmer.

For the Lewes Bonfire Celebrations we had approximately 130 people join us along the way with funky music and good conversation: it is sociable cycling with a purpose.

We also need people to help keep the Bike train (every weekday morning 8:30am from the Level) going next academic year so this would be an ideal opportunity to get involved, please see www.biketrain.org for more details.

Yours Sincerely, Jethro Gauld

Stanmer Park - more a car park than a nature reserve? Photo: Jethro Gould

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badger| badger-opinion@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

The alternative vote: a necessary stepping stone Alex Rickets The upcoming AV referendum has caused a great deal of political controversy. Allegations of mudslinging and distortion of the facts have been bandied around, with Chris Huhne even going as far as threatening legal action in the last few days.

The reason for all this is manifest: one side has a vested interest in one outcome; the other a vested interest in the other. Putting aside ulterior motives, however, there is I believe only one logical answer to the question that will be officially put to us on May 5th.

First Past the Post is hopelessly unsuited to modern politics. Decades ago the system produced almost exclusively majority-backed MPs because general elections were twohorse races – in 1955 a staggering 96.1% of the electorate voted either

Labour or Conservative. In 2010 65.1% voted for one of these two, the result being that a mere 32.3% of MPs secured a constituency majority. This is blatantly undemocratic, and undermines the assumption that the House of Commons acts as voice of the people.

AV reduces this unfairness by ensuring that the winning candidate enjoys more broad support within their constituency. Second or third placed candidates will not routinely ‘win’ under the system – research by the British Electoral Study suggests that under 7% of seats would have been decided differently had AV been used in the 2010 election. Nevertheless AV would have a positive impact on so-called safe seats which lead to large parts of the electorate feeling that their votes are ‘wasted’.

Other distorted facts employed by the no campaign include the claim that AV will lead to more hung parliaments, whereas in fact, given the demise of two-party politics in this country, coalitions will now be more likely irrespective of what voting system is employed.

Undoubtedly the most spurious claim, though, has been that AV will cost £247 million – Huhne’s overreaction to this fabrication is understandable. £90 million of this encompasses the cost of the referendum, which of course will not be affected by the outcome. £130 million concerns electronic voting machines that allegedly would be required; this has never been the case in Australia, and the independent Political Studies Association confirms there is “no truth in the claim”.

For all its undoubted strengths in comparison with FPTP, AV is not a proportional system. Millions of people, quite understandably, will be voting ‘no’ because they don’t think the ‘yes’ vote goes far enough. This however would be hugely counterproductive because a ‘no’ outcome would put to bed any chance of electoral reform for decades. Powerful supporters of FPTP will leap at the opportunity to claim that the current system enjoys majority support, and it will be extremely difficult to convince an apathetic public that the matter should be reconsidered.

A ‘yes’ outcome would lead the way to a full discussion on proportional representation. In all probability the majority of the electorate even now want a fairer, proportional system: a vote for AV would be a huge step

on this path, because evidence shows that major electoral reform leads to subsequent reform.

Of the four established democracies who have introduced reform in this area in the last thirty years – France, Italy, Japan and New Zealand – three have introduced further reforms, while New Zealand will hold a referendum on whether to advance its current proportional system later this year. The political pressure following a yes outcome for AV would prove unstoppable.

May 5th will constitute a choice between keeping our current undemocratic system, with no end to it in sight, and implementing a voting method substantially fairer than FPTP with the likelihood that a fully proportional system will be ushered in sooner rather than later.

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comment and opinion

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badger | badger-opinion@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Pay triple the fees, get half the experience Sarah Morgan I for one was very disappointed when the University of Sussex announced its plans to charge the £9000 maximum fee in the academic year 2012-2013.

When MPs initially voted for the fee rise last December, I assumed that Oxford, Cambridge and a few of the Russell Group universities would charge the maximum, but that our smaller, less elitist institution (which takes 88% of its undergraduates from state schools) would decide against it.

I assumed Sussex would acknowledge that tripling the fees would mean pricing a lot of potential students out of the ‘Sussex Experience’, and would be aware that our university’s unique and diverse student body would suffer as a consequence. But it looks like our university’s budget deficit is taking its toll, not to mention the threat of dropping in the league tables, and Sussex has gone for ‘the big nine thousand’.

The government has now predicted that 75% of universities will charge the top rate- I think most of this is out of competition. Charging the maximum not only gets you more cash for facilities, it suggests that as an institution you believe you are worth the greater cost. In turn, universities charging lower than the top rate will appear to be compensating for something. Unlike us however, the government has not thought through this competitive drive- it has assumed that institutions will charge £7500 on average. Already then, they have been proved wrong.

The cuts to university funding are, admittedly, severe- the BBC estimates a budget cut of £449million in total.

Sussex has been feeling the budgetary pressure for a long time (arguably not helped by some ambitious building decisions including new signage

and taking on the library revamp, the new Northfield residence and the demolishing of the Russell building simultaneously), and I think we can all imagine the extra revenue created by tripling the fees was attractive to those who allocate our university’s funding. However, in short, the University of Sussex was still presented with a choice. They could choose to set their fee level at anywhere between £6000 and £9000, and they chose to go top whack.

Had this decision been made a few years ago, Sussex wouldn’t be what it is today. I’m not talking about leaguetable climbing, I’m talking about campus atmosphere. Before coming here, I went to three open days, and every single one claimed Sussex was proud of its relaxed atmosphere, where revising in the library was only part of the experience.

This has been confirmed for me in the last three years. During my time at Sussex I have learnt to express myself, to take everything as it comes, and not to sweat the small stuff. I have received an excellent education which has only been enhanced by the attitude that the education throughout and the enjoyment along the way are just as significant as the end assessment and final result. I think this attitude could suffer when the top fees come in.

Students are aware that their education is costing them £9000 a year, before even getting into the maintenance loan figures, may be a lot more anxious to achieve a top grade in order to make the money spent seem more worthwhile. They will feel even more pressure than we currently do to start their ‘career path’ and get a graduate job to demonstrate that their degree was worth it. In essence, triple the fees, triple the pressure.

Students protest against extortionate tuition fees Photo: guardian.co.uk The gap between the USSU and University Management has been widening for some time. The campaign to ‘Reinstate the Sussex Six’, the boycotts and occupations during the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the ‘Stop the Cuts’ campaigns have all demonstrated a distaste for the decisions of Sussex’s authority figures. By choosing to go for the £9000 figure, University Management have put financial gain over the opinions of

their student body, and in doing so have pushed the USSU even further away.

Sussex’s one redeeming feature in all this is its comprehensive scholarship scheme. Plans for more means tested financial help and a focus on aftercare as well as helping current students acquire work experience placements, do sound convincing.

Sussex is not a university which shuts people out- it still ensures students

who ‘firm’ it get accommodation (of some description!), it takes a huge proportion of its undergraduates from state schools and its Student Support Centres are excellent. It has high entry requirements and no one who manages to get an offer should have to decline it because the fees are too high.

Students are proud of Sussex- the NSS results show that. I just hope it stays that way!

The £9,000 question: how much is your Sussex degree worth?

Jack Christie With nearly three-quarters of England’s universities announcing that they would increase their tuition fee rates, it may come as little surprise even to the protesters that last month the University of Sussex announced that it too would be introducing a £9,000 a year charge to new students from 2012, the highest mainstream rate going.

The news comes with the deadline for any universities proposal to increase their fees, as set by governing body ‘Office for Fair access’. OFFA have also announced their expectation for a new national average yearly fee of £8,679.20, three times what it is now. The move to £9,000 a year would place the cost of a degree from the University of Sussex alongside that of Oxbridge universities.

Considering Lord John Brown’s (the man whose report inspired the increase in fees) claim that the change will help to increase interuniversity competition and raise education standards (one of his key arguments); is this maximum increase as much about trying to market University of Sussex into

the rarefied air of those revered institutions as it is about anything else? It is after all good for reputation to appear confident enough to value the degree you are ‘selling’ highly: As a well respected university, Sussex would not to want appear to provide a cheap rate, (therefore cheap quality) ‘product’.

There is argument that instead of inspiring competition for better quality as Lord Brown and Vince Cable claim, the fees increase will instead simply inspire a system that implicitly values degrees by how much they cost alone.

However much people bang on that fees, whatever the increase, we will still be loan funded with repayment requirements that are tailored to alleviate those that end up earning less; you cannot help but feel that this is a bit of a smoky argument.

There will inevitably be less inspiration for those that are from poorer areas – with a different understanding of the value of money, to want to risk taking such a large loan. Inevitably then, an increasingly smaller percent of the most

affluent backgrounds will be the ones inclined to apply to the more expensive universities: those same students who are more likely to have received a better quality of (private) education prior to applying. Sussex have pre-empted this problem by announcing alongside the fee hike a support programme for first generation university attendees and low income family members; although it is a scheme yet to be proven.

Common sense still seems to suggest that such a price increase will bring (some level of) increase of the qualifications and wealth per applicant. And, after all it’s a capitalist country: hasn’t ‘the university’ the right to decide its own rates?

Those protesting, would argue that such over-pricing inspires an unfair disadvantage based on class and wealth alone, that we should be demanding a fairer deal, and I would agree.

However, there may be some amongst those same upset folk that are or have been outraged at the cuts that our university has had to undertake; the redundancies of many

valued teaching staff members, cuts to research budgets, courses and departments under jeopardy because of the problem of lack of funding. The government funding of universities has in fact been on the decrease since the late-nineties, and the coalition have recently announced a further cut to teaching grants of a massive 80% over the next few years.

Under these tough conditions, with the productivity and quality of all aspects of university academia (from first years through to the most renowned researchers and authors) in financial downturn, putting the reputation and future of the university into question, doesn’t the opportunity to demand more money from anywhere seem suddenly appealing? “But it shouldn’t come so heavily from the public!”.

True enough, however in the current climate you might forgive universities, ours included, for being a little desperate. They would not be receiving that funding from this government anytime soon, and it needs to come from somewhere. For the

moment it looks like the university of Sussex, along with the other two thirds of the nation’s higher education institutions will go ahead with their increases.

In a case where it is a bad system, rather then all out greed by the university, Sussex have decided to opt for the full £9,000. But in reality many other institutions providing less value than Sussex will be similarly priced, a national average of £8,600 according to the Guardian.

At best the increase of fees may arrest the downward spiral of the perceived value of degrees (with less and less postgraduates finding work). At worst it will contribute to class inequality. Unfortunately the diversity of the students at Sussex will probably be affected.

Lets hope if this is the case another institution emerges to carry on its ethos. Things do change. But after all the talk of how this change is being implemented for its social benefits, once we cut the bull, isn’t this just about milking the cash cow of higher education to help pay off the deficit?

University of Sussex

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Help run the Union

Student Awards tickets still available

Students’ Union release

Students’ Union release

This term students will elect undergraduate Union Councillors, part-time Media Development, Community Engagement and Ethical & Environmental Officers as well as four Ethical & Environmental Reps.

Nominations for these positions are open until 4pm on Monday 9 May. Visit www.sussexstudent.com/ elections for more information including role descriptions and examples of the things you could do in each role.

Being elected as Union Councillor means you will be representing the views & interests of students within your School of study, and making sure that these views are reflected in the activities of the Union. You will be the main point of contact between the student reps and the Union, as well as being responsible for holding the full-time and part-time officers to

All positions have a huge impact on both the Union’s and the University’s agenda so sign up today account.

All Part-Time Officers have a vote on the Union’s Operations Committee and Union Council.

The roles’ time commitment varies

according to how much students wish to commit, it could be from one to three hours a week. All the roles have great opportunities to learn and develop skills, work with enthusiastic peers and change life at the University for the better.

Being elected as Media Development Officer will mean a chance to be involved in all student media groups, liaising with them you will have the chance to impact the widest possible section of the University community.

Being elected as Community Engagement Officer will mean developing the Union’s links to the wider community. Whether it be through University or local government, volunteer groups or Falmer and Stanmer village there is so much that can be done and learnt through this role.

Being elected as Ethical & Environmental Officer means working to effect change within both the Students’ Union and the wider University, to ensure that Sussex is continuously reducing its ecological impact and improving its ethical standards.

Being elected as an Ethical & Environmental Rep means that you will have an impact on both the Union’s and the University’s agenda. You will be a member of the Ethical & Environmental Committee, working closely with the Ethical & Environmental Officer and Operations Officer to make ethical and environmental improvements.

The nomination process is really straightforward - you can fill in a nomination form & get all the information you need at www.sussexstudent.com/elections

The Awards will take place at Brighton Racecourse on Friday 6 May, tickets cost just £5.00 to attend the evening, tickets include VIP drinks reception from 7pm, professional photography with free downloads after the event and delicious buffet throughout the awards.

Other highlights include live performances from student groups and live recording and broadcast from UniTV. See who was nominated and buy your tickets at www.sussexstudent.com/ awards

Sports Sport Award Full Blue Award British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS )Team of the Year

Most Improved Club Club of the Year Basketball Men Sportsman & Sportswoman of the year

... and the categories are...

Media Best news story Innovation in Student Media Best Student Media Editor Volunteering Link-Up Award Outstanding Achievement (Union Volunteering) Union Volunteer of The Year Gold Awards Certificate of Excellence

Award

Impact Award for Social Change Best campaign Environmental Innovation Representation Outstanding contribution to Student Representation Societies Society Event of the year Most Improved Society Best New Society Outstanding Achievement (Societies) Personality of the Year

Award

University Radio Falmer at National Student Radio Conference Kit Bradshaw Chairman, URF “Hertfordshire. Is that near Wales?” asked my mum as I packed the car for my three day excursion to the National Student Radio Conference. As I soon discovered, after a glance through the A-Z, it’s nowhere near Wales. In fact the University of Hertfordshire’s two campuses are in Hatfield which is just a few miles north of the M25 and about a twohour drive from Brighton. The shiny modern halls were to be our home for an action-packed three days of lectures, workshops and events.

Five members of the University Radio Falmer (URF) exec were coming on the trip, and after all travelling from different ends of the country, we managed to meet up and decide what events we were each going to go for. With over 30 individual activities taking place there was a diverse range on offer. From a workshop on perfecting you radio voice to a talk on sports programming. From a step-by-step guide to putting together a playlist to advice on a strong interview technique.

There was certainly enough to keep all of our exec busy.

I went along with URF’s head of news, Simon Lynwood, to a talk on radio journalism. Like all of the events, the speakers were first-rate.

With managers from Radio 1 Newsbeat and LBC 97.3, and presenters from BBC Asian Network and Five

Live. I managed to catch-up with John Cushing from LBC after the talk and he told me that it was vital to gain experience in radio while at university if you wanted to pursue a career in the industry. “Radio journalism is about common sense and instinct. I never went to university and never got a journalism qualification.” Only five years earlier the station manager of UEA student radio had been spotted by a talent scout at the conference. Greg James now has a very successful afternoon show on BBC Radio 1.

ing. This was apparent just by how many delegates they had sent to the conference - Radio Sonar must have had at least 30 members, all in matching branded t-shirts. Lee Sevenoaks, station manager at Spark FM, explained to me how different his station was to URF: “At Sunderland student radio is more than just another society, we are a full blown community radio station, with our own Ofcom licence and off-campus studios.”

What also became clear at one of

the evening events was the incredibly high standard of many student stations. Demo Factor was a chance for budding DJ’s to have their three minute demo tapes played out to a panel of judges who would “buzz out” - in the style of Britain’s Got Talent - once they’d had enough.

After hearing how good the first few sounded, I was very grateful that they didn’t get round to playing my tape.

But the judge’s feedback to others did give me a valuable insight into what makes a good radio presenter.

In the evenings the SRA had arrange some true radio stars to entertain us. On the first night Greg James took to the stage, followed by Radio 1 legend Tim Westwood on the second night. For me, the quality of the guests just reinforced the quality of the conference as a whole. It was a fantastic opportunity for the team at URF to learn from those in the industry and those from other student stations about what makes a great radio station. An opportunity I’m sure we won’t forget in a hurry.

After a day of events it soon became apparent just how much of a big deal student radio is at many universities.

After a day of events it soon became apparent just how much of a big deal student radio is at many universities. For stations like Spark FM (Sunderland University) and Radio Sonar (Southampton Solent) student radio is at the heart of their universities extra-curricula offer-

URF exec team at the National Student Radio Conference in Hertfordshire Photo: URF

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students’ union Sussex vs. Brighton in sports showdown Students’ Union release

How images of wealth and success can negatively shape body image

University research news Varsity is our annual sports compeVarsity is our annual sports competition against local rivals, Brighton University. Our The advert for a facial cream shows tition against local rivals, Brighton sports teams will be taking on their Brighton counterparts in a series of fiercely a slender woman with perfect skin University. Our sports teams willfought be matches on Wednesday 4th May. in an exotic holiday location. How taking on their Brighton counterdoes it make you feel? parts in a series of fiercely fought The matches are being held on our campus this year and our teams would Research has already shown that matches today. appreciate your support so come along and cheer them on. Scott Sheridan, exposure to images of ultra thin The matches are being held Students’ on Union Activities Officer, is looking forward to the day, “our teams have had models has a negative impact on our campus this year and our teams a really successful year and are keen to do well at Varsity. It’ll be an exciting women’s perception of their own would appreciate your supportafternoon so for the players and supporters as Sussex students come together to show bodies. New research reveals how come along and cheer them on.their support” models displaying the trappings of Scott Sheridan, Students’ Union wealth and success leads to a greater Activities Officer, had this to Matches say take place all afternoon at the Sports Centre (by Falmer House) and Falmer in anticipation of the event: “our Sports Complex (up the hill behind the science buildings). The Men’s Volleyball dissatisfaction for some women.

University of Sussex psychologist teams have had a really successmatch will take place at Brighton University’s sports hall.

Eleni-Marina Ashikali led a study in ful year and are keen to do well at T-shirt design for the Sussex teams at this year’s Varsity which women were shown images of Varsity. It’ll be an exciting aftereither luxury items (mobile phones, noon for the players and supporters champagnes, expensive holidays), as Sussex students come together to or neutral products (puppies, landshow their support and win some scapes). The participants were then trophies” shown more images of neutral items Matches take place all afterthat either featured thin, idealised noon at the Sports Centre (by models, or no models.

Falmer House) and Falmer Sports The study revealed that the Complex (up the hill behind the women who were ‘primed’ with the science buildings). The Men’s Volluxury item images first, and who leyball match will take place at had self-rated as being particularly Brighton University’s sports hall. attuned to notions of wealth, fame This is a great way to take a break and image, reported more negafrom your essays or revision and tive feelings about their bodies after show some Sussex spirit. viewing adverts featuring idealised models. www.sussexstudent.com/sport Above: Timetable of events This study, published in the British www.sussexstudent.com/varsity This is a great way to take a break from your essays and revision and show some Sussex spirit.

www.sussexstudent.com/sport Interested in volunteering on a community www.sussexstudent.com/varsity games programme?

Come along to a volunteer information event and find out about volunteering with Groundwork Solent: Groundwork Solent work to deliver projects for people, places and prosperity through six strategic themes: Communities (Building stronger neighbourhoods), Land (reconnecting people with their surroundings), Employment (training for work and supporting enterprise), Education (learning, citizenship and sustainability), Business (integrating the economy and the environment, Youth (realizing young people’s potential).

Tuesday 10th May, Library Square, 11am – 2pm

You can chat with workers and volunteers from Groundwork Solent and, if you wish, have a go at some of the inclusive games that the project uses to create and strengthen social bonds.

Journal of Social Psychology, is the first to investigate the link between materialism and body image, and to show that the influence of materialism is a further factor that makes women more vulnerable to negative body image. Ashikali says that the results highlight the need for women to become more critical of the images and messages conveyed by the media.

“Body dissatisfaction is endemic among young women and has been identified as a consistent precursor or a range of mental and physical health problems,” she says. ‘’Perfect appearance and an affluent lifestyle are typically shown together in the media. But women would benefit from gaining greater awareness of marketing strategies.”

“Our work highlights the need for less emphasis on the promised but unrealistic benefits of owning a particular product.”

This study will be published in a forthcoming issue of the British Journal of Social Psychology. Article: “The Effect of Priming Materialism on Women’s Responses to Thin-Ideal Media.” Eleni-Marina Ashikali & Helga Dittmar. British Journal of Social Psychology. Published Online: March, 2011 (DOI:).

FareShare Brighton and Hove supports the local community in fighting food poverty. They procure quality surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise go to landfill and redistribute it to front-line services in the area who cater for around 3,000 vulnerable people a week, predominantly the homeless.

There are several interesting volunteering opportunities available with this project: fundraising, driving, event management, assisting in the food depot or in the project’s office providing either admin or personnel support.

To find out more about these roles and how you can get involved, come along to the project’s volunteer information stall:

Tuesday 24th May, Foyer of Falmer House, 11am – 2pm

This opportunity is open to all students – no previous experience is required, you just need an interest in working with people. Full training and support is given.

“We rely heavily on our wonderful volunteers to carry out the operations of our service and who help us out in our office and at fundraising events. We are a fun and friendly charity who offers an essential service to the community.” Liz Davies, Fareshare.

Project V is the Students’ Union community volunteering scheme. We provide safe and supported volunteering placements that benefit students and the local community.

Project V is the Students’ Union community volunteering scheme. We provide safe and supported volunteering placements that benefit students and the local community.

www.sussexstudent.com/volunteering 873387 projectv@sussex.ac.uk

www.sussexstudent.com/volunteering 873387 projectv@sussex.ac.uk

The union pages are edited weekly by the Communications Officer of the Students’ Union. If you would like to have your individual, sports club’s or society’s activities published on these pages please email: communications@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

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arts THE MAIN EVENT NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND Page 12 ON THE BIG SCREEN ON THE SMALL SCREEN FOOD FOR THOUGHT Page 13

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badger | badger-artspages@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

The main event

Brighton Festival 2011 The Badger previews England’s leading mixed arts festival

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Brighton Festival 2011’s Guest Director Aung San Suu Kyi Photo: topnews.in Louise Ronnestad Arts editor Brighton Festival 2011 is around the corner: from this Saturday, the 7th to 29th May there will be three weeks of unrivalled arts celebration. Brighton Dome and the festival’s purpose is to champion the power of the universal language of the arts and to enrich and change lives, whilst inspiring and enabling artists to be their most creative.

In 2011, the Guest Director of Brighton Festival is no other than the courageous leader, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Of her guesting role she said “it is especially pleasing for me to see, albeit remotely, Brighton Festival taking shape this year, and to think that so many people will come together in May to celebrate great art and experience the inner peace it brings.

It is wonderful too to know that there is such support for the effort to bring democracy and freedom to Burma, for which the Burmese people have been

diligently working for so long. I wish everyone involved in Brighton Festival this year – the artists and the audience – the happiest of times. And thank you – please continue to use your liberty to promote ours”.

Aung San Suu Kyi is an international symbol of peace and resistance in the face of oppression. She has fought passionately for over two decades for democracy and human rights in Burma and taken the heart of this years’ Brighton Festival with artists both local and international presenting a powerful and wide-ranging programme.

The five headline events are: Kutlug Ataman Mesopotamian Dramaturgies, from internationally successful Turkish artist, Kutlug Ataman, is a collection of stand-alone artworks and films conceived in response to the subject of modernism, with the dynamics of its relentless advance into the Middle East.

Brighton Festivals’s sell-out site specific commission of 2007 returns.

A collection of four of Harold Pinter’s political miniatures are woven together

into a powerful, provocative and intimate performance. The New World Order is an examination of political oppression, torture, and the mechanics of “what is done in our name”.

OrchestraoftheAgeofEnlightenment and Brighton Festival Chorus present Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, conducted by Adam Fischer and with a newly commissioned narration by Simon Butteriss. Its themes – wrongful incarceration, abuse of power and personal sacrifice – seem startingly contemporary, however this two-act opera’s underlying message is of right triumphing over might made manifest in the final ‘victory’ chorus.

Mexico’s leading contemporary theatre company Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes come to the UK with two works shown here for the first time. El Gallo is an ‘opera for actors’, sung in a made-up language performed with visceral physical energy. In Monsters and Prodigies, Baroque opera meets a history of ideas in this elaborate and witty musical take on the castrati enigma. Both are directed by Mexican

wunderkind director Claudio Valdes Kuri.

Inspired by the struggle in Burma, Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) open Brighton Festival with a special one-off event. ADF have always been at the forefront of musical resistance and politicization and their new album History of Now is no exception. All of the collaborators on that album come together here for this live event, accompanied by screened footage of Aljazeera documentary series The Music of Resistance.

The books and debate programme takes up this year’s themes with a fascinating line up including PeterTaylor the BBC investigative journalist and author of Talking toTerrorists; a debate on ‘The Future of Burma’ with Sue Lloyd Roberts, Zoya Phan- Burmese refugee and activist with Burma Campaign and Robert Gordon, Ambassador to Burma 1995 – 1999, an event with International PEN and Jericho House Theatre Co called ‘Writing Freedom’ and a discussion entitled ‘Article 19’ on Freedom of Information and the right

reciting a great poem on how good it is to be alive; the central theme of his entire performance.

However, it was the slam poetry session of the evening that provided the highlight,where performers recited their work to a welcoming audience that rated their contributions out of 10.

Chris Parkinson was perhaps the embodiment of the very Brightonian eccentricities he rambled on about, using mundane details on a random poster he came across in the gents as the basis for his piece, and the audience loved it. The slam session ended with a musician who sang an original piece called ‘Doomed to Die’’. While the audience seemed

somewhat disinterested, as it wasn’t technically what they signed up for, baring no resemblance to traditional spoken word, he did gain a respectable score, bringing an exciting event to a close.

The eventual winner of the slam was a new poet, Hannah Butcher, who brilliantly performed a piece about a group of girls who had 5 degrees between them, but who with a splash of vodka on a night out in Brighton, turned into nobody’s.

I would highly recommend ‘Hammer and Tongue’ to all. At the very least it will have you giggling, and might, just might, remind you why it is you love all the strange characters that loom in this crazy town.

Notes from the underground Wanjiru Kariuki Arts editor Hammer and Tongue Every first Thursday Komedia ‘Spoken word’ refers to the highly respected craft of writing and performing poetry; and in Brighton lovers of the art need look no further than Komedia, home of ‘Hammer and Tongue’ and a night of slam poetry hosted by the bubbly Rosy Carrick. Providing a platform for both up-and-coming poets as well as more established artists in the Brighton and Hove area, the night gives poets young and old, the opportunity to

showcase their knack for writing and performing. Coupled with a friendly crowd and cosy setting, The Badger, couldn’t help but check it out…

The first poet on stage was the aptly named, ‘MC Gingenie’. His cheeky ode to Southern Rail and his witty piece on Brighton and its eccentricities were undoubtedly his best. In contrast, deciding to tackle a more serious subject, Richard Tyrone-Jones, detailed his experience of a serious heart condition. While he took the whole episode with a pinch of salt, the solemnity of the situation fused with his in-your-face humour left the audience slightly uncertain of how to react. Though he did close with something rather more upbeat,

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badger badger-artspages@ussu.sussex.ac.uk Food Fish for thought

On the big screen

Hannah Meaney Rich with Easter symbolism Fish is very much the dish of day this time of year. However with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Fish Fight Campaign still very much ongoing, here are some tips on good fish to use as an alternative to the popular, over fished varieties.

Laurence Owen Scre4m Wes Craven USA, 111 mins, 15, 2011 “How Meta can you get”, remarks Gail Weathers (Courtney Cox) before a techno-savvy Ghostface shares his/ her latest butchering with the internet via a live webcast, shortly after another character is prank called by her friend using a ‘Ghostface’ iPhone app.

11 years after the film’s most recent predecessor, Craven and Williamson have launched their tongue-in-cheek slasher franchise deep into the 21st century. This is Scream for the Twitter generation – because, after all, it would make more sense than Facebook now, right?

The Scream films have never been normal, constantly walking the line between parody and what is itself being parodied, resulting in a weirdly unique sub-genre of parody that isn’t comedy. Once again, we follow Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) who has returned to Woodsboro to promote her book about the murders, only to find them being re-enacted by a new Ghostface killer.With the help of Gail and newly appointed Sheriff ‘Dewey’ Riley (David Arquette), she sets out once again to unmask the killer and survive the ever-changing warzone of horror film cliché.

As usual, the action is largely guided by the characters either knowing or not knowing the dangers of the horror genre, such as being “the dumb blonde with big tits”,

announcing your retirement from the police force or closing the fridge door to find the killer standing behind it. While it is this self-referencing phenomenon that makes the series so enjoyable, there are moments in Scream 4 when the knowing oneliners go too far, edging dangerously close to Scary Movie territory. The fourth wall always remains mercifully unbroken, but a few of the film’s wisecracks would make Groucho Marx groan. Nevertheless, there are some truly joyful moments, such as the maddening politics of whether it is safer to be the cop who leaves the car to patrol the perimeter or the one left waiting behind. In truth, if you’re doomed you’re doomed, and there’s no saving yourself – except by being gay, of course.

Scream 4 does not surprise you.

But it goes about not surprising you not by failing to surprise you, but by deliberately not surprising you, which is, in itself, surprising. It is a difficult film to review, as it is so self-aware that it actively points out the holes you could potentially pick and practically reviews itself. It has possibly the highest death toll of the four films, but as the characters point out, we are experiencing a rebooted sequel, which can only be more extreme.

While this gleefully inevitable truth means that some of the subtlety of the earlier films is lost, Scream 4 is still a complex thriller that chooses very carefully whether to break or follow rules – most importantly of all, don’t fuck with the original.

On the small screen

Doctor Who is back for more bow tie time Photo:bbc.co.uk Lucy Atkinson Arts editor Doctor Who Saturday 6pm BBC 1 He performed miracles, he died, people mourned, he rose again, and it’s why we celebrate Easter. No, not Jesus, I’m talking about Doctor Who. The one thing we Brits anticipate more than chocolate eggs and giant bunnies is, of course, the return of everyone’s favourite time lord, who pops up over Easter weekend every year to remind us that there’s no problem so large that you can’t just jump in a time machine and run away.

This year’s Easter special saw the return of the Doctor and his three companions; the poison-lipped woman of mystery, River Song; Rory the big-hearted Roman; and of course, everyone’s favourite robotic, bitchy Scottish ginger, the ever-infuriating

Amy Pond. While hardly a revelation, the episode was a good’un. Character based laughs were balanced out by some genuinely creepy aliens with a survival technique almost as good as that of the Weeping Angels (and a whole slew of Firefly references for the eagle-eyed Browncoats among you). But by the time this article is published we’ll know who was in the space-suit and the Doctor will be on to new adventures, so I’ll move on.

However sceptical people were when Matt Smith was announced as the Doctor, he seems to have won almost everyone over.While less angst ridden than Tennant, Smith’s Doctor is pleasingly alien, constantly reminding viewers that however human he appears, he’s definitely not one of us.

But while the Doctor might have got the world on his side, his companions have been met with less than unanimous approval. River Song’s appearance in Silence in the Library raised a hundred questions; her return

in The Time of Angels rose even more.

Gaping plot holes aside, she certainly keeps things interesting. Part of her charm was that, like the Doctor, she would pop up unexpectedly and cause a little trouble. If she is now to be a regular character I wonder how long they will be able to drag out the mystery of who she really is.

Rory started out as a rather dull character, a sweet but unexciting foil for Amy to rebel against, but as the series progressed he transformed into the human heart of the show, grounding the other characters in some sense of reality. Now that he and Amy are married and presumably come as a pair, it’ll be interesting to see if they bother developing his character any further, or relegate him back to a glorified sidekick.

Amy is where the real problem lies. Half of the country think she’s the sexiest thing since free internet porn, while the other half think she’s as awkward and poorly acted as free

internet porn. Falling, as I do, in the latter category, I hope that her pregnancy means she’ll soon be removed from the show, thus freeing audiences from having to watch a character so devoid of basic human decency that she tries to cheat on her fiancé the night before her wedding, and then again during the wedding reception, in front of her brand new husband.

The trailer for the new series gives a frustratingly small amount of clues as to the direction of the series, being as it is mostly made up of clips from last week’s show, but it looks satisfyingly dark. Steven Moffat’s intention to skew the series towards a younger audience seems predominantly manifested in Smith’s madcap performance, thus allowing the storylines and peripheral characters to remain enjoyably sinister. The only real question is why the whole bow-tie look hasn’t swept the nation by storm. After all, bow-ties ARE cool.

Pollock Pollock is a white fish from the same family as cod. Although it can be a bit dull by itself, it’s really good for fish soups or cooked in a sauce as the flesh is firm and gives a nice flavour to the broth. Most supermarkets sell it frozen as their economy white fish, so it’s a real bargain too.

Try frying a sliced onion, two cloves of chopped garlic and as much chilli as you like until the onion is soft, then add a can of tomatoes, two frozen pollock fillets and a couple of tablespoons of capers with some of their brine. Cook until the fish is hot throughout and season to taste with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon.

Mussels Mussels are an incredibly underused seafood. They can seem a bit daunting but they’re actually really easy to cook and not at all expensive.

There are plenty of good recipes for moules marinière on the internet, a dish which is cheap, simple and looks impressive.

Alternatively, make a tomato sauce in a saucepan by frying a diced onion and a couple of chopped garlic cloves until soft, adding tinned tomatoes, heating and then adding a good glug of white wine. Put in 600g of mussels, stir and cover for 3-4 minutes until all the mussels have opened. Add some chopped parsley and enough pasta for two people and season.

(Make sure to scrub and de-beard the mussels first and discard any that don’t open after cooking.)

For more sustainable fish recipes or to find out more about the ‘Fish Fight’ campaign go to www.fishfight.net

Photo: telegraph.co.uk

He’s behind you! Photo: euronews.net

Mackerel This oily fish is a good alternative to salmon, which tends to be farmed with disastrous effects. The main thing which puts people off is the small bones, but most supermarkets offer fillets, and any fishmonger will fillet it for you. If you don’t mind a bit of fiddling though, they are delicious either grilled or oven roasted whole with some garlic, olive oil and lemon juice. Other wise, panfry fillets with chilli, garlic and ginger and add some soy sauce and coriander at the end for an oriental flavour.

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badger badger-artspages@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

Centre stage

Terence Rattigan

The Badger reviews current performances of plays by the famous Brightonian in his centerary year Terence Rattigan Playwright 1911-1977

Sienna Miller in ‘Flare Path’ and Anne-Marie Duff in ‘Cause Celebre’ Photos: londontheatredirect.com, telegraph.co.uk Jessie Thompson Arts editor Flare Path Until11th June Theatre Royal Haymarket Cause Celebre Until11th June The Old Vic For his centenary year, much of Terence Rattigan’s work has been given a dusting down and found its way back to the stage. Beneath the dust, however, it has become clear that Rattigan’s plays are not the dated and snobbish depictions of an age past that they were once purported to be, but a series of achingly relevant examinations of the human condition and the way in which we deal with both pain and passion.

In Flare Path, the story of an actress torn between love, in the shape of film star Peter Kyle, and duty, this being her Flight Lieutenant husband Teddy, it is clear that the subject of this play was dear to Rattigan’s heart.

The audience has a heightened sense of insight due to the playwright’s experiences as a tail gunner in the RAF during the Second World War, particularly due to the fantastic way in which Rattigan writes the bantering dialogue of the pilots themselves, littering it with airforce slang.

In Trevor Nunn’s production, the excitement and fear of the pilot’s take off is shown by the screen projection of planes taking off above

the set, watched with apprehension by wife Patricia (Sienna Miller) and the Squadron Leader (Clive Wood).

However, the emotional complexity of life as a pilot, revered for bravery, but internally struck with fear, comes in an excellent scene in which Patricia’s husband, Teddy (Harry Hadden-

with classic Rattigan understatement; there is no extravagant declaration of love, simply a choice to stand beside one man whilst letting the other walk away, unnoticed.

Rattigan’s versatility is demonstrated in Cause Celebre, his dramatization of the real life case of

Rattigan’s plays are not the dated and snobbish depictions of an age past that they were once purported to be, but a series of achingly relevant examinations of the human condition and the way in which we deal with both pain and passion Paton in a stand out performance), breaks down after returning from a night of flying. ‘You don’t know what it’s like to be frightened,’ Teddy laments, and the distinction between the ordinary heroics of these men, juxtaposed with the whimsical, superficial unreality of film stars is brought devastatingly to the fore.

Patricia’s final decision is portrayed

Alma Rattenbury, accused of killing her aging husband with her teenage lover.

The struggle between moral respectability and carefree hedonism is portrayed by prim jury forewoman Edith Davenport (Niamh Cusack) and woman on trial, vivacious Alma (Anne-Marie Duff). Rattigan’s skilled characterisation makes Alma so

likable that we find ourselves rooting for someone that may not necessarily behave in a way that is morally acceptable, aided by an infinitely charming performance by Duff.

A particularly striking scene sees Alma drunkenly confess murder to a police officer shortly after her husband’s death. Duff’s playful performance switches to heartbreaking in a matter of seconds, and her portrayal of Alma allows us to see her as a figure in which comedy and tragedy are often not exclusive, but mingled irretrievably together, in a life that sought adventure often without realising the consequences.

A floating room above the set being used for scenes in prison and re-enacting the murder brought to mind an illustration of purgatory, suggesting the indefinite nature of Alma’s fate, and the scenes in which other characters discussed the case with some wonderment emphasised the long life of our engrained celebrity culture.

These two stunning revivals of Rattigan’s plays are just a few amongst the many that will be gracing stages across the country, and they indicate exactly why it is necessary that we celebrate his centenary year. With understated emotions, things implied rather than said, and quiet comments upon a society that hasn’t changed as much as we may think, Terence Rattigan’s work has been dusted down, and its rediscovery should ensure that these quiet masterpieces are not forgotten again.

Photo: 100mim.wordpress.com

Photo: thefilmpilgrim.com

A blue plaque marks 79 Marine Parade, the former Brighton home of playwright Terence Rattigan, and his residency in our city is also evident by the presence of his name on the front of a Brighton and Hove bus. He once declared that the greats of theatre consisted of ‘Shakespeare, Chekhov and me’, and the vast number of successful revivals in this, his centenary year, indicate that this immodest statement may have actually been correct.

Born in 1911, he was educated at Harrow and Oxford, leaving his degree unfinished in order to stage his first play, First Episode in the West End in 1934. His first hugely successful play was French Without Tears in 1936, followed

by After The Dance in 1939, a play which was revived last year at the National Theatre starring Benedict Cumberbatch and receiving 4 Olivier awards.

It was in 1941 that Rattigan’s service as a tail gunner in the RAF inspired him to write Flare Path. It was described by Winston Churchill as a‘masterpiece of understatement’, and praised by members of the forces for helping people to understand the truth behind their experiences.

Perhaps in dedication to the city in which he lived, Rattigan penned the screenplay for Brighton Rock alongside Graham Greene in 1947, the same year that one of his most famous plays, The Winslow Boy, premiered.

After a series of failures, Rattigan found success with The Deep Blue Sea in 1952 and Separate Tables in 1954, but his success was to be abruptly halted with the rise of kitchen sink drama in 1956, which Rattigan himself had a personal distaste for. Plays such as John Osborne’s Look Back In Anger ensured that Rattigan was quickly deemed to be out of fashion, and never enjoyed the same kind of acclaim again.

A series of flops was followed

by Rattigan leaving England for Bermuda in 1966, and although he was knighted in 1971, his life took a turn for the worst when he is diagnosed with leukemia in 1975.

His final triumph before his death in 1977 was to see two of his plays – Cause Celebre and Separate Tables – run consecutively in the West End, something that rightfully occurs in abundance in 2011, a year celebrating his life.

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What’s On...?

| badger-artspages@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

If you want to see your event on these pages, contact Olivia James with the venue, date and time of your event, a short description, and any relevant images. Send your request to badger-listings@ussu. sussex.ac.uk by the Tuesday of the week before your event is happening at the very latest.

Wednesday Film

Theatre

Music

Pub

Club Night

Farewell (L’affaire Farewell) With an ‘80s Cold War atmosphere, is a taut espionage thriller based on true events that changed the world, with an excellent European cast

Harold Pinter Shorts Eight micro-plays from Pinter, the Grand Master of the Absurd. From comedy revue sketches of the 50s and 60s to political satire of the 80s, interweaving the hilarious and the horrific.

Brassneck presents The High Llamas With influences that include pre-1950s American pop and folk, Brazilian jazz and bossa nova and European electronic music, don’t miss the chance to experience this extraordinary band live.

Pub Quiz and Pre-Supercharged

Decadent Nights Rules: bootlegging and swinging our way to evenings of decadent fun with Coco De Ville and Blind pig...?

The Duke of York

Upstairs at Three and Ten

Komedia

Falmer Bar

4pm, 9pm (orange Wednesdays)

8pm, £9.50/7 (Also thursday and Friday)

8.30pm, £13

7pm

Thursday

Warm up at Falmer bar with a pub quiz and then drinks before a night at Audio!

brighton university, grand parade, room

The Jam 10pm, £4 204

7pm

Music

Music

Music

Music

club night

The Urban Voodoo Machine A London collective of shadowy ne’er do wells featuring between 7 to 12 musicians playing a unique brand of bourbon soaked gypsy blues bop’n’stroll.

Dr Bluegrass and Illbilly 8 Foot stompin’, thigh slappin’ bluegrass!The perfect band for hoedowns, shindigs, hootenannys and barn dances brings its unique sound through the doors.

2-4-1 Cocktails At the back of Falmer Bar they serve fantastic cocktails every thursday for a great price - £4 for 2! Highly recommended

Gentleman’s Dub Club

Toddla T

Popularity is building quick for this nine-piece dub, ska and roots band. Don’t miss your chance!

If you like Annie Mac then you will like this Northern DJ Toddla T

Komedia

The Mesmerist

Falmer Bar

Concorde 2

Digital

7.30pm, £10

9.30pm, £Free

6pm

8pm, £7

11pm, £7

societies

Union

Club Night

club night

The Badger writers’ meetings Want to write for the Badger? Come down and meet our friendly editors every Friday to pick up a story or share your ideas.

Student Awards Join the Student Awards celebration, recognising and rewarding the achievements of students who contribute towards the student community via the Students’ Union.

SUPERCHARGED presents a one off weekend special, with an unmissable line up covering Dubstep, Funky, Garage and Grime!

Presenting local independent clothing label ‘Pear Shaped Apparel’ hosting the night... this is not one to be missed!

Motel A bran new club for techno heads. Catch your weekly dose every Friday. The owners (life) have done a great job booking big names on the electronic scene so watch this space!

falmer house, room

Friday

the

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Brighton Racecorse

Life

The Tube (formely funky Buddha)

1.30pm

126

7pm, £5

11pm, £4

11pm, £5/3

Fringe

Theatre

Club Night

Club Night

Club Night

Brighton Fringe Festival

The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Company Stars of GMTV, BBC1, MTV and many more bring you a brand new show of songs, sketches, socks and violence.

Alive & Swinging: The After Party A night of vintage and electro swing with Arther Shillin’ (Playgroup & The Secret Garden Party) Live PA from Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer and other very special guests!

Carnivalesque & Balkanenesca Merlin Shepherd & The Balkanesca All-Stars to headline with support from Molotov Jukebox and the Carnivalesque DJs also there is Fusion Belly Dance Workshop 9pm for £10

Komedia

Komedia

Coalition

Concorde 2

6pm/7pm, £10/9

11pm, £6

10pm, £10/8

11pm, £8

Societies

Buying and Selling

Music

Fundraiser

pub

Sussex Roots

Carboot Sale Now summer is here go shoping for bargains and junk at this carboot sale

Superhero’s vs Villain’s night A chance to get dressed up as your favorite superhero or villain... or just an excuse to wear tights and a cape. The entry fee goes to the charity Childreach International.

Chill out...

Get out in the sunshine (hopefully) and learn some gardening skills. Every Sunday!

Cate Ferris - Folk She returns with a storming new set of folktinged songs and a brilliant live performance which is captivating, intriguing and dynamic.

There will be a support act.

The druids or Rose hill tavern have great music on a sunday night. Perfect way to end the weekend.

Behind Brighthelm

Brighton Racecorse

Upstairs at Three and Ten

The Jam

Pubs in Brighton

Afternoons

12pm, £1

8.30pm, £7.50/5

10pm, £2

Saturday

The fringe starts today, check out the website to find anything from comedy to caberet to circus or to the Ladyboys of Bangkok! They’re deals online also!

All over Brighton

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04.05.11

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science

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Fish farms on the high seas Offshore fish farms are one solution to feed a hungry world Tanja Hoffmann In 2010 a report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that 925 million people, mostly in developing countries, suffer from malnutrition worldwide.

As shocking as these numbers are, they are only expected to get worse: by 2050, the world population is expected to rise from approximately 7 billion to 9.3 billion. It would be expected that with this population increase, there would be a parallel rise in food production – this doesn’t appear to be the case, at least not with fish stocks; the worldwide numbers of harvested fish have stagnated and maybe even decreased over the past 10 years, due, in part, to overfishing and the extinction of some fish species. Motivated by these alarming figures, a number of marine biologists have decided to make use of one of the last unexploited food resource – the aqua cultures on the high seas.

The Kona Blue Water Farms, which lie 800 metres away from the Hawaiian west coast, are one of the 20 alternative offshore fish farms which exist worldwide. They distinguish themselves from usual fish farms by being located away from the coastline. Compared to poultry, cattle or pig farming on land, these alternative fish farms do not use up territory which could be used by another agricultural sector nor use fertilizer which can end up in rivers or lakes and cause lasting damage.

The Kona Blue farms focus on breeding mackerels as an alternative to the highly endangered red

tuna. They are caged - in tear-proof synthetic material, to protect them from sharks – and bred in locations where the submarine streaming conditions are appropriate and close to seaweed and mollusc habitats, which feed on the waste left behind by the mackerels.

Besides these already realized visions, other ideas could make offshore fish farming a sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to other ways of producing food in the future. The fish cages, for example, could be driven by propellers, along stable submarine streams, to bring fresh fish to replenish stocks. Fish farm expansion would also not lead to deforestation in sensitive areas such as rainforests and the need to transport huge quantities of water as an expansion in livestock and agricultural farming would require.

One of the current drawbacks of offshore fish farming is that the bred fish are fed smaller fish, which are often as under threat as the fish they are being fed to. Mackerels, despite being able to live on a vegetarian diet, would, if fed without anchovies or sardines, lack the essential amino acids and fatty acids required in the human diet. Although critics have argued that aqua cultures would eventually lead to the extinction of anchovies and sardines, the carriers of fish farms have gradually been able to reduce their need for fish being fed to cultured fish from 80 to 30% within the last decade. In order to balance the current net loss due to fish used as a food source to culture other fish species, carriers of aqua cultures have set a future

Do offshore fish farms hold the key to feeding a rising population? Photo: gcaptain.com target to use, at maximum, the same amount of, for example, anchovies as food for a comparable amount of mackerels cultured.

As fish breeding has been the food sector with the highest rate of expansion within the last years, calculations show that current resources to feed the cultured fish are at risk of being exhausted in 2040 so that sooner or later fish breeding companies need to find alternatives

ways to feed their fish. Currently, the company Advanced BioNutrition in Columbia is investigating the potential of algae as a source of the Omega-3 fatty acid DHA, which could reduce the dependency of fish farms on smaller fish species.

Since many developing countries are expected to adapt a more Western life style whilst becoming wealthier, the World Health Organisation estimates that the demand for meat will

rise by 25 % by 2050. Perhaps, off shore fish farming can help fill the gap and thus reduce the land used for livestock farming.

Aqua cultures therefore might be a more handy way of supplying the increasing world population with the required proteins without the need of chopping down trees of the rain forests or using up vast amounts of water necessary for running and expanding the livestock industry.

Nuclear wasteland?

25 years on, animal numbers are soaring in the Chenobyl exclusion zone Thomas Lessware Science editor What’s more dangerous to a local animal population – a major nuclear accident or the presence of a town?

The latter according to research by Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth.

25 years ago, during a safety test that went wrong, reactor number four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine ruptured and plumes of radioactive material were released into the atmosphere, bathing the USSR (especially Belarus) and Europe with high levels of radiation. It is widely considered the worst nuclear accident to have ever occurred, with UN figures predicting between 4000 and 27000 cancer deaths directly attributed to the accident and the amount of radiation released ten times that released by the Fukushima plant in Japan this year.

A large area around the Chernobyl plant has been evacuated since

the incident, with very limited access allowed within the exclusion zone, except for scientific study, maintaining the remains of the plant and ‘chenobyl stalking’, the name given to the grim tourists who visit the nearby, abandoned town of Pripyat.

It’s within this zone that the Portsmouth team has been doing its research, studying the invertebrate populations of nearby lakes.

Although radiation in some lakes appears to have fallen to background radiation levels, some were up to 300 times higher.

However the populations in these lakes seem to not only surviving but thriving. Both the radioactive lakes and the non-radioactive lakes have similar numbers, with similar levels of diversity.

Only extreme levels of radiation will cause fatal radiation poisoning – most deaths attributed to radiation are cancer related. This explains why the invertebrate populations in the lakes don’t seem to be affected

– wild animals tend not to die of cancer as they usually don’t live long enough – predators or infectious diseases tend to get to them first.

The populations are thriving primarily because of the lack of human contact – not just the animals in the lakes, but populations of wolves, deer, moose, beaver and wild boar have increased massively and there have been sightings of the very rare Lynx and of brown bear tracks, a species that has been extinct in that area for several centuries. Some consider the zone to be a classic example of an ‘involuntary park’, an area that has been abandoned by humans and left to become feral and overgrown.

The Portsmouth study and others show how well animal populations hold up against long term, high doses of radiation.

It is an interesting piece of research that, once again, reminds us that our long term actions have larger consequences on the flora and fauna around us.

Humans may have left but the animals are flourishing Photo: Tim Suess

Electric Einstein? Roving Rutherford? Fancy writing for the Badger science page? Write a 500-1000 word article on whatever excites and inspires you in the world of science and email it to badger-science@ussu.sussex.ac.uk.

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04.05.11

Easter tour: a success for Men’s Cricket Nick Boon While for many the Easter Holidays are about spending time with family or eating your own body weight in chocolate, for the University of Sussex Men’s Cricket Club, the Easter Holidays have always been just that little bit more special. This is due to the annual EasTour, taking place on the last ten days of each Easter Vacation for the last three years.

This year twenty six members of the cricket club ventured once again to darkest Cornwall for ten days of Cricket, sun, beach and banter.

Arriving after a long jounrey to a beatufiul selection of cottages, the drizzle failed to dampen spirits as the contingent looked forward to playing their first game the next day.

For this first game, an intra-club at a local ground, it was decided instead of arbitrarily sorting out teams something special was needed. The makeup of the teams was decided by an IPL style auction, with each player naming their own base price and duly bid on by two ‘franchise’ owners. After a lengthy auction with many players going for well over their base rate (One Mr McIntyre going for over $1.6million!), the line-up for both the ‘Drukes of Hazzard’ and the ‘Pune Destroyers’ was finalised.

The next day the game was played in overcast conditions, with the ‘Pune Destroyers’ emerging as deserving victors. After much drinking and ‘top chat’, the teams

returned to their isolated cottages to relax.

The next day saw the return of decent weather to Cornwall, many taking advantage with a trip to play beach cricket and football in Polzeath, and also to sample the best pasties in the world in Padstow.

That night each tourer was given the task of dressing up as a ‘sporting hero’ for the traditional trip to an atrocious Cornish nightclub.

The evening proved to be suitably eventful, and was a fantastic team building evening.

The first Saturday of tour saw another intra-club game with everyone given the chance to shake off the rust and get some good time out in the middle before the start of the season proper the next day.

On the Sunday, Sussex took a strong side to meet Cornwall Division 1 club Cambourne CC. In a picturesque setting the away side batted first and posted a respectable score which was just chased down by the hosts. However, the other Sussex side travelled to Lanhydrock CC on this day and recorded an impressive win. Already, after only 4 days of Tour and 3 games it was evident how much of an impact the new influx of freshers have had on the club as a whole, both in ability and social prowess.

The next few days saw much enjoyment of the glorious Cornish climate, with visits to Newquay and Boscastle among other places.

The results of the next two games were again mixed with another strong Sussex side getting smashed

Women’s Cricket Club thriving Lydia Stevens After what proved to be a tough time in training during the Spring term, the University of Sussex Women’s Cricket Club finished their off season training on a high; organising, hosting and running a hugely successful Street20 Tournament at the University. Street20 is an adaptable form of cricket which is intensely fast paced and exciting; with all members of a 6-a-side team getting involved with both the ball and the bat.

Local clubs were invited to come and get involved; to play some energetic cricket, to meet people from other clubs, establish friendly links and most importantly: have a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Jenny Moor, ex Sussex Uni Women’s captain, now playing for St Peters said: “I thought the Street20 tournament was a fantastic way to get to know other women’s cricket teams in the area. It was great to see how well the women’s cricket team has developed at the uni and a lot of effort was clearly put in to organise such a fun day. It was a great way to start the new cricket season!”.

After some close matches and some truly entertaining cricket, Brighton and Hove ended the day the winners, narrowly beating a young but very impressive Chichester Priory team.

The social event that followed the tournament, where medals were awarded to the winners and the runners up, was a great opportunity to meet and socialise with teams in the local area. After the success of this event, the club hopes to make it an annual occurrence, and get even more local teams involved.

Alongside training hard for the upcoming season, where the 1st XI will be looking to better their efforts of last year, where they finished 2nd in the

league and reached the quarter finals of the BUCS cup, the club has been working hard to set up volunteering projects in the local area.

During the summer term, the club will be running a weekly after school club at the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy in Falmer. In preparation for coaching a group of 20 students, five members of the club dedicated their time to gaining their ECB Level One coaching qualifications during the Easter Holidays.

As well as this, some club members will be volunteering at Brighton and Hove Cricket Club, helping their developing junior girls teams out with umpiring, scoring and coaching on match days.

A number of girls are going to be getting involved with the Sussex County Cricket Club Disability Day at Hove on the 4th of May. This will be truly valuable experience for the members who are actively interested and involved in local coaching opportunities Following the success of their involvement last year, the women’s team will be getting stuck in with the ECB Cricket Factory down at the Take Part Festival launch on June 25th, which seeks to deliver an engaging opportunity to give cricket a go for the 12,000 people present at Preston Park.

The summer term is going to be busy for the club, with often two fixtures per week, two training sessions per week alongside a number of community engagement projects. It will be hectic, but exciting, as the Club seeks to prove itself as a serious, talented and dedicated University sports team.

If you would like information about training, matches or socials, send an email to sussexuni_womenscricket@ hotmail.co.uk

Sussex Men’s CC in action on yet another succesful Easter Tour Photo: Fergus Klein

by Cornish Premier League champions elect Callington CC while the next day a much improved Sussex side were emphatic victors against Newquay. Again, impressive performances from many players helped to lift Sussex to this monumental victory. The last two games of tour were played a matter of miles apart so it was a pleasant surprise for those of us playing at Meheniot CC to be cheered on by the rest of the touring party after they had unexpectedly lost to the minnows of Liskeard CC. Despite the fact that the latest instalment of EasTour had ended with a pair of losses, spirits could not be dampened. Queue a list of tongue in cheek tour awards, along-

side a few serious ones (such as Best Bowler: Charlie ‘golden arm’ Carter and Best Batsman: Paul ‘straight arm pull’ Holiday) and tour was over for another year.

For many of the touring party this was a particularly sad moment having been on three tours with the club and knowing that this would be their last.

First Team Captain Ben Denton stated: “naturally it is a very sad thing to know that this is the last time that we will all be on tour together.

The friendships that I have gained over my three years at the club are a definite highlight of my time at university and it hasn’t really sunk in that this is the last time that I will be playing cricket with a lot of these

guys. It is the end of an era.”.

Men’s Cricket is one of the only clubs at the University who organise their own tour over the Easter holidays,.The success of tour this year is another indicator of how much the club is thriving, and it is safe to say that every ‘tourer’ has now become integrated as a fully active member of the club.

While the 2nd and 3rd XI’s were in league action last week (see report below), the 1st XI have their first game of the season next Wednesday against Brighton up at the Falmer Sports Complex, starting at 12pm.

If you have a bit of free time that afternoon, why not head up the hill and support the team in their battle to put one over the ‘old enemy’.

Thirds defeat Brighton beaten by rampant seconds stubborn Reading Matt Stroud with but one that gave the away team

Matt Stroud

The Men’s Cricket Third Team got their league season underway with a fine win over Reading.

With the toss forefeited due to a late arrival Sussex were put into bat. This soon looked like a blessing in disguise though, as Chris Farell stroked a confident 46, supported by Sam Jewiss and Tom Simmons. A useful 30 from lower order batsman Ben Stoddart pushed the Sussex score to a highly respectable 216.

A fine opening spell from Ben Stoddart left him with two well deserved wickets and put Reading on the backfoot early on.

Despite this the Reading batsmen would not lie down, as they pushed the score on and kept the game in the balance.

Luckily Sussex could call upon Charlie ‘golden arm’ Gorton who returned excellent figures of 4-57 to knock back the Reading middle order.

As the game reached a thrilling climax fresher Sean Doherty returned to the attack to try and finish the game. A brisk spell left the new man with 3-48 and sealed the victory for the thirds.

Captain Tom Simmons declared himself delighted, saying ‘this is a great start to the season, there is no reason why this group of players cannot achieve promotion this year’.

The Thirds have four more games and will be looking to win them all.

This was a fine performance by the Thirds, only in their second year of existence and bodes well for the future of cricket at Sussex.

Sussex Men’s Cricket Second Team started their league season with an away fixture against arch rivals Brighton.

Hopes were high among the team following a hugely successful tour of Cornwall during the Easter break, with several players in prime form.

The importance of an opening victory cannot be understated, a short season of only five games makes victory in every fixture essential to achieve promotion.

With this in mind it was a relief to see captain Neil Trott win the toss and elect to bat on a sunny but breezy day at the Convent Fields, Lewes.

After an early single Sussex suffered a worrying setback. Opener matt Mcdonald, fresh from 140* on Monday, departed for a golden duck and was soon followed back to the pavilion by Matt Stroud.

Reeling from these early blows Sussex did well to rebuild, first through Neil Trott (21) and later through Mike Williams (18) and Dom Sweeting (29).

As Sussex reached the relative comfort of 93 -3 thoughts turned to posting a competitive score in excess of two hundred. It was not to be though as a dramatic collapse left Sussex in disarray at 121-8.

A patient partnership ensued between all rounder Charlie Carter (18) and specialist tail ender Chris Turrell (8), the former making expert use of the edge of his bat to push the score upwards.

The innings eventually came to an end with Sussex on 152, a score that few of the team seemed happy

a sliver of hope.

After tea of debateable quality the teams emerged with Sussex knowing that early wicked were essential if they were to protect their below par total.

A crispy hit early four from the Brighton opener suggested it might not be Sussex’s day, but Turrell soon struck. Bowling his usual lightning quick outswingers Turrell (4 - 26) induced an uppish leg - side shot which was expertly taken by Mcdonald, and Sussex were off and running.

Two further wickets followed for Lewes Priory’s finest export before it was time for fresher Nick Boon to stamp his mark.

Bowling a tight off side line and extracting dramatic bounce boon proved more than a match for the Brighton batsmen, and returned excellent figures of 4 - 27. A late fiery burst by Osama Ashraf (2-6) finished the Brighton innings with a mere 75 on the board.

It was a superb bowling performance from the seamers, who expertly took advantage of the variable bounce offered by the Lewes wicket.

Credit must also go to Dom Sweeting, whose twenty nine became more impressive as every Brighton wicket fell.

Man of the match Nick Boon declared himself happy with the performance as he said ‘boon like winning’. Captain Neil Trott was similarly pleased saying ‘it is our stated aim to gain promotion this year, and this is the perfect start.

I look forward to next weeks game against Imperial and hope my rousing team talks will continue to inspire the guys’.

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