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BADGER

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE STUDENTS’ UNION

WELFARE

FEATURE

‘Take Care’ and get a taxi home

Page 11

student media

“The Badger changed my life”

Page 10

Your guide to media at Sussex

Pages 12-13

artsTUNE IN ONLINE

33 things to do in Brighton

Page 16

Welcome to your Freshers Week;

William Jones

an experience like no other

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

IN PICTURES • 2

FRESHERS SPECIAL Why you’re lucky to be studying in Brighton Sophie Jones

Sophie Jones

Deborah Batchelor

Victoria Farley

Sophie Jones

Coconut College

East Slope Bar

Eduard Mead

Ondra Loup

Kim Nelson

Sophie Jones

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS • 3

Sussex: Your journey begins here!

Looking for some books to get stuck into? The Badger has your recommendations for a truly literary first term booklist guaranteed to impress your new friends!

Alex Ferguson News Sub-Editor So you have made it through the horrors of A-levels and the traumas of UCAS and have managed to bag yourself a place at the University of Sussex. The first thing that needs to be said is, well... congratulations!

You have managed to get into a university that, according to the Times Higher Education rankings, is placed at an impressive 121st best in the world and in the top 10 in the UK for research influence. You are being taught by some of the best! That said, academia is of course (if we are being generous) only half of the university story.

Looking beyond the module choices, the number of contact hours and the all important split between coursework and examination, the University of Sussex is all about your surroundings and the opportunities that they open up for you. In this vein, what more needs to be said other than the fact that Sussex is famous for its captivating scenery, for its strength in political activism and for its diversity in both students and in societies.

It is this diversity which follows through into your new local town... the bizarre and amazing place that is Brighton

The intellectual bookshelf

Shima Jalal Kamali Even after your few years of living in Brighton you will still find that there is so much to discover, there are still little shops in the lanes waiting to be found, nice cafés hiding away in Hove and particularly good nights to be had in one of the clubs on the seafront.

But one thing that will hit you immediately as you make your way to tick off the Brighton Pier from your list of things to do in your new town are the weird and wonderful inhabitants.

The fact that Brighton plays host to its own Fringe, Pride and even an annu-

al naked bike ride and beach picnic says a lot about the town’s unrivalled dedication to social freedom.

In Brighton you will meet people miles outside of your comfort zone and they will most probably end up being unexpected friends. Brighton and Sussex will always have at least one other person that shares your niche passion and it is a place that will make you feel at home very quickly.

With all of this available to you, who will you be? Will you be the overpoliticised activist that will ‘stick it to

the Man’, the hippy enthusiast that describes themselves as ‘quirky’ or the hardcore student academic that will add to Sussex’s already impressive contribution to research? The opportunities are endless and the University of Sussex is the perfect place to define yourself freely. After all, this is what university is about.

So, whether you have ended up at Sussex by accident or on purpose, you should be proud of where you are and, more importantly, you should be looking forward to the next three years ahead of you.

1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell 2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 3. Hard Choices by Hilary Clinton 4. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang 5. HP Lovecraft, The Complete Collection by HP Lovecraft 6. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 7. The Passage by Justin Cronin 8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 9. The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort 10. A Brief History of Time

by Stephen Hawking 11. The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Vox Pops: Why you’re excited about life at Sussex Aimen Majeedullah Pakistan Applying to university, especially as an international student is a harrowing experience, but Sussex turned this into a breeze

Ian Rogers Swansea, UK

Jessie Sun Rotherham, UK

Aashish Adhikari Napal

for me.

As a postgraduate student, I was looking for a university that not only nurtures my intellectual faculties and capabilities but also gives me a cultural experience that I can cherish for life.

I am excited because Sussex offers not only the academic opportunities and intellectual nurturing that I have eagerly sought but also offers an amazing campus in a vibrant locale. In the end I would say, the academics attracted me to Sussex but it has been the friendly attitude of the people of Sussex that has me so excited for my postgraduate journey here!

At Sussex, I am most looking forward to being able to study in a beautiful countryside setting while only being 10 minutes away from the busy and bustling Brighton and it’s lovely seaside.

Sussex has a reputation of being a very politically active and passionate university and being a political person myself, that is a feature that really appealed to me. Also, Brighton is a great place to go on holiday in the UK and the opportunity to live and study there is extremely appealing and guarantees an active social life outside of my studies.

In relation to the course I am going to study, Sussex has a great reputation for Law, especially it’s research, so it was always my first choice university.

In all honesty, I am feeling slightly nervous about going to Sussex University just because it’s so far away from my home and friends, but at the same time it doesn’t outweigh how excited I am for it.

I’m really looking forward to starting my Media and Communications course (as nerdy as that sounds), but of course I can’t wait to meet loads of new people on my course, my flatmates and my neighbours.

Plus I’m pretty excited to go out and experience the night-life in Brighton.

The University had a great vibe to it and it’s in a great location so I couldn’t be more ecstatic to go.

I’m really excited that i’m going to Sussex because of so many reasons. I’ve always fancied the word ‘engineer’ and always wanted to be an engineer.

This University has a really good history and I know it. I’ve got some friends there and they told me a while back about the environment at Sussex before I applied there. Apart from that,the alumni consists of great figures claiming several awards.

I’m really desperate to be a part of the university and meet new people there. The first few days might be a challenge, but I know people are friendly according to my friends. I’m already friends with some on Facebook. I Hope to have a great experience studyig engineering there.

Sophie Warlock Southampton, UK

Elin Edstrom Sweden

Gabriel Thompson Canada

Sofia Fernández Spain

I am looking forward to meeting new people and studying the subject that I love.

As I have visited the city of Brighton multiple times and even been on holiday there, I am looking forward to exploring the area more and visiting my favourite places in the city.

I am just looking forward to taking the first steps into my future in the psychology sector which can help me achieve my goal in life to hopefully help people overcome mental health issues.

I’m getting more and more excited by the day to start my course at Sussex and I’m sure I’ll have three very happy and fulfilling years here.

Starting at Sussex as a postgraduate Journalism student, I am most excited about starting a new experience in such a beautiful and welcoming place.

My course looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to get stuck in with it all and meet a whole bunch of new people.

Brighton is such a lovely place to live and I feel exceedingly fortunate to be able to do my Master’s here. I never gave any other University a second glance after seeing what Sussex had to offer me.

The first year students should count themselves lucky that this is only the beginning, and the next three years are guaranteed to be a blast. Bring on the new year!

The summer holidays are almost at an end and as I make the long journey to Sussex, I’m opening a brand new chapter in my life.

With so many universities in Britain to choose from, Sussex won me over because of its intriguing Law and Politics course; which was by the far the best on offer that I saw. It’s also located in one of the most vibrant cities in the UK Having checked out what societies are active at Sussex, I must say that so many of them wet my appetite as well. I really can’t wait to join the Game of Thrones and Harry Potter societies when I arrive.

Leaving my hometown of Vancouver to study abroad wasn’t a decision I took lightly, but at Sussex, I feel like I’m in safe hands.

I will be continuing my degree in English Language in September and I couldn’t be more excited to be attending the University of Sussex. I have always wanted to study abroad and I spent ages looking for the best place for me to fit in.

I know that Brighton is a really diverse place and I think that I will meet a lot of new people, which I think is an important part of growing up. I am scared to move so far away from home for my studies but I think I will gain a lot of new experiences and my confidence will grow.

In the long run, I think I will look back on this decision and be proud of going to study abroad at Sussex. I can’t wait to be a fresher again at a new university and I couldn’t think of a better place to be going.

the badger

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

YOUR STUDENTS’ UNION • 4

Welcome to your Students’ Union

Abraham Baldry – President “My handover was short – three days instead of the usual two weeks.

Fortunately, however, it was well organised; and I feel well set up to start turning my manifesto into reality- tackling exploitation of students in Brighton and Hove, improving facilities available on campus and encouraging voter registration leading up to the general election.

This is an exciting time to be involved in student politics and I’m looking forward to making a positive difference to the lives of students at the University of Sussex.”

Lyndsay Burtonshaw – Activities “I remember thinking – somewhat naively – how quiet my summer starting work at the Students’ Union would be… how wrong I was! My prerogative is to listen to students, have you around to drive us, who we need to listen to and be motivated by. But, preparation for Freshers’ Week is gargantuan, and the officers and I have had quite a bit of training to undergo to ensure we serve in our positions as best as possible.

It’s a credit to the amazing staff support that we’ve been inducted and got to work; everything has flowed and the team here is phenomenal.

“I am expanding the traditional role of the Activities Officer, through engagement in wider campus issues such as outsourcing, incidences of sexual harassment and campus expansion, but also discussing national issues like DSA, marketisation of education and the need for consent. In this national context of marketisation of higher education, the Activities Officer will have a broader and explicitly political remit. As well as all this, RE:CYCLE Sussex bike hire project is taking up many of my days, with us expecting a delivery of 130 abandoned campus bikes any day! More happy students on bikes, less people tethered to the high cost of travel in Brighton and Hove. I am very excited to have students back to drive the Union where you want us to go in the future.”

Rianna Gargiulo – Welfare “In these first few weeks I feel like I am being continually challenged in terms of my views and beliefs, as well as the sheer quantity of operational knowledge that is needed to do the job! Being a sabb is not as straight forward as you might first suppose; every day new complications arise, which means that you might need to rethink what your plans were for that day, or sometimes for much further into the future.

In this respect I’m grateful that our students voted for more transparent governance in the recent referenda so that I am able to be open about the challenges (and hopefully successes!) which I will undoubtedly face in the job.

Although I’m still figuring it out, I see my role as facilitating an enjoyable time at university by addressing inequalities and barriers to equal access and participation. At the moment I am working on my manifesto pledges for a safe taxi scheme, lobbying B&H buses for cheaper fares, and improving on-campus self-catering facilities, whilst also following up on Sophie’s successes, such as on-campus gender neutral toilets and a new family room for student parents.”

Michael Segalov – Communications “The role of Communications Officer has already been varied and challenging, and I’m only a few weeks in! After a short handover with the outgoing officer, everything seemed to happen very quickly. I’m currently working on a project with a great organisation called Arts Emergency, designing a ‘Community Comms’ programme, as I said in my manifesto, to help the Union engage with young people in Brighton, and offer ways for their voices to be heard.

Aside from this, I’ve been working on our campaign strategies, planning out the year for student media, and getting ready for Freshers Week. I’ve also been traveling up and down the country visiting other Unions, attending training and conferences, and trying to get my head around what I’m hoping to achieve over the coming months. It’s certainly daunting, but an incredibly exciting opportunity.”

Bethan Hunt – Education “I was lucky enough to work with a fantastic predecessor throughout the handover period. Juliette conveyed her passion, experience and advice for the role of Education Officer, but still granted me the space to define this position for myself. Coming into this role can feel daunting, given how much there is to learn, but I already feel that I have grasped so much in just three weeks and it has made me really excited for the year ahead. To me, it is really important to kick start my term by working on my manifesto points, which include a review of mitigating evidence, lobbying for improvements to the library and overseeing the implementation of e-submissions.

“I define the role of Education Officer as incorporating, advising and representing students on academic matters and ensuring students’ voices are heard by the university- I find this particularly essential at the moment, given plans to increase student numbers. Nationally, it is also a crucial time to be a representative of students with the marketisation of higher education and the current climate of austerity; this highlights another key aspect of this role, which is campaigning. These can be issues specific to Sussex or national issues, such as the government’s proposal to cut the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA), which the Union will be lobbying against.”

Dan Greenberg – Operations “I’m taking over as Operations Officer in a challenging but exciting time for our Students’ Union. Emily and the rest of last year’s team, along with all our full-time staff and part-time student staff, have worked incredibly hard to ensure our Union-run outlets remain competitive in comparison to new outsourced Sussex Food venues. Myself and this year’s team, like our predecessors, are determined to continue this, proving that our outlets can be run in a way that is both ethical and student-led.

“Whilst I’m already starting to work on the manifesto points I was elected on, there are so many great projects Emily has started that I’m enthusiastic about continuing. I’m looking forward to a year of challenging but rewarding work, and I’m eager to prove to students that our Union is an organisation that we, as students, shape and is something to be proud of.”

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

NEWS • 5

Freshers bucket list 2014 Rosanna Dodds News Sub-Editor

There is no shortage of things to do during your freshers year at Sussex. To ensure you can look back on what will hopefully be a decorated and fun-filled first year at University, we’ve compiled a list of everything you must do this year. Go ahead and tick each item off as you progress through the year.

1. JOIN A SOCIETY Whether it’s something you’ve always been interested in, or a field you’ve never heard of, joining a society is a great chance to get involved and meet new people. With groups such as the Cuban Salsa society, the robotics society and the Game of Thrones society, there really is something for everyone.

2. VISIT UNION BARS East Slope and Falmer bar are the perfect places on campus to relax and erase the memory of blowing your student loan in first 30 minutes.

3. BOND WITH FLATMATES Even if you don’t think you’ll be soul mates, you’re going to be living with them for the next year, and you don’t want to be the awkward housemate who never made an effort in the first

week. A night on the town or an innocent game of monopoly can be excellent bonding exercises.

4. GO TO A SOCIAL

Whether you’re part of a society or not, socials are great opportunities to suss out Brighton’s nightlife and to go out with a parade of new people.

Brighton is famed for having the most trailblazing nightlife in the whole of the UK… don’t let its flame fade.

5. START A PHOTO ALBUM

It’s always nice to accompany your memories with photographs. Whether it’s your overly intoxicated flatmate, or a stray horse behind East Slope, you’ll definitely appreciate having taken the photo when you’ve said goodbye to Sussex for the final time.

6. ATTEND COURSE WELCOME PARTY It’s always good to make a couple of course friends, and you may even score yourself some free alcohol or food (depending on the generosity of your course’s department).

7. SIGN UP TO CAMPUS SURGERY Parental nagging will play a part in

this. As mundane as this task seems, there may be a time when a trip to the campus doctor will be necessary, and you’ll kick yourself if you have to wait to be signed up two months into your time here.

8. INITIATE A FRIENDLY PRANK WAR

As long as eyebrows remain intact, and childhood toys are left untouched, orchestrating a few flat pranks is always a fun activity - just make sure you know what you’re letting yourself in for.

9. THROW A FLAT PARTY

No waking up to mum and dad ranting and raving about the God-awful state of the kitchen and the wildlife on the front lawn. Orchestrate the house party you’ve always dreamed of without the fear of parental bleating.

10. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF STUDENT DISCOUNTS 10 percent off at Topshop? 40 percent off food and drink at Pizza Express? A discount on cinema tickets at Odeon.

The possibilities are endless! Try to make the most of at least one perk of having a student and NUS card while you have the chance.

11. HOST A MOVIE NIGHT

Vegetating in your room in the evenings can be such a massive bore. To plug this void, maybe consider inviting your best buddies around to catch a movie or a series on Netflix (or your flatmate’s if you don’t have an account) and just forgot about those deadlines.

12. COOK A FLAT ROAST

Pasta soon gets old and nostalgia begins to take hold of you over the most taken for granted of home comforts; like a good old Sunday Roast. But if you head to Aldi for cheap ingredients, and collaborate with your flatmates/friends, you’ll be able to cook up a delicious roast in next to no time.

13. INCUR A LIBRARY FINE Library fines are endemic. No matter how hard you try to avoid them, everyone seems to effortlessly get lumbered with them; so you might as well embrace it. Enjoy racking your library fines up with moderation though; like smoking, it can become an expensive habit.

14. FIX UP YOUR ROOM

When you get a minute, take time to unpack and decorate your room. You’ll be living there until June so you may

as well make it nice. Why not occasionally visit the poster sale on campus?

15. PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER Everyone can admit to leaving things to the last minute. Why not go the extra mile and finish a deadline over night? At least you’ll be guaranteed a seat in the library.

16. SIT IN WRONG LECTURE

As long as it’s not registered, who is going to find out? Maybe befriend someone studying Film Studies; you might get to catch a film screening with them!

17. BEFRIEND THE CLEANER

Since they have the power to leave you with a hefty fine, befriending your cleaner can only be worthwhile. Try to leave the flat clean before they come, or even offer them a cup of tea if you run into them.

18. INVITE FRIENDS DOWN Brighton is a beautiful place; let your friends see how great it is. When you’ve settled in, invite your friends from back home over for the weekend. Then they can see all the fun you’re having, as evident by the state of your kitchen, and the fact that you haven’t changed your bed sheets in three weeks!

The anti-bucket list Mental illness: It’s Rosanna Dodds and Zoë Halse News Sub-Editors

Worried about what not to do while you’re at Sussex? Fear not, The Badger’s got you covered! From seagulls to keeping your work from taking over your life, this is a list of scenarios you should do your best to avoid.

1. DON’T GET ROBBED BY SEAGULLS

They’re devious, they’re ruthless, and they’re out to get you. Yes, they are only seagulls but you only have to open your sandwich outside the Coop before one has snatched it from behind your shoulder. You have been warned!

2. DON’T MISREAD YOUR TIMETABLE

The internal panic and execrable exasperation of sitting in a cognitive science seminar for 40 minutes when you should actually be studying The Picture of Dorian Gray, because, embarrassingly, you’ve got room 002 mixed up with 020. It isn’t an ideal scenario for your first week- just make sure you’ve got the right place!

3. DON’T COOK NOODLES IN A KETTLE Reading the two lines of instructions on the back of food packaging can

save you your dignity and your neighbours having to evacuate when the fire alarm goes off.

4. DON’T BE OBNOXIOUS IN SEMINARS

Listen to what other people have to say. In your first year you’re unlikely to come up with anything earth shattering all by yourself. By the same measure don’t shy away from speaking all together, by all means participate but don’t dominate. Appreciate being in a room full of intelligent people.

5. DON’T FALL ASLEEP ON THE NIGHTBUS

Unless you’re with friends, or somebody takes pity on you enough to wake you up, you’ll most likely find yourself back in Brighton ready to do the whole journey again- so much for an early night.

6. DON’T LIVE ON CO-OP SNACKS AND READY MEALS

It’s inevitable that there will be days when you’ll have a hunger only to be satisfied by a ready meal or a microwavable pizza, but there is the cheaper alternative of Aldi in town, or the farmer’s market on campus, as well as the local ASDA who deliver straight to your door. The odd treat from the Coop is fine, but you’ll save loads if you do your weekly food shopping elsewhere.

7. DON’T MIX DRINKS

You may well be confronted with the shame to humanity that is the dirty pint, but no one will respect you for drinking the whole thing and proceeding to spread bodily fluids around the entire house. Always try and stick to the same drink all night if you can and drink plenty of water before bed to avoid a hangover.

8. DON’T STEAL HOUSEMATES’ FOOD

If someone is constantly stealing your cheese without promise of reimbursement, then that’s an issue. Just don’t complain when someone takes a squirt of ketchup or the odd tea bag.

9. DON’T GET BOGGED DOWN IN YOUR DEGREE

Don’t lose yourself in your degree University isn’t just about getting a first class honours qualification. Take the time to learn in other ways, like joining a society, writing for The Badger, making good friends, and build up an alcohol tolerance. Do your work but don’t get lost in it.

10. DON’T FAIL YOUR FIRST YEAR

Have fun, but remember, If you don’t pass your first year, you don’t advance into your second year... So pass!

indiscriminate

Zoë Halse News Sub-Editor

Like a lot of people, I never really stopped to think about mental illness, until it stopped me in my tracks. We always leave open the possibility of having to endure a debilitating ailment one day, like cancer.

However, not for one second did I imagine the possibility of losing my mind.

A relatively high-flying student, coming to the end of an exclusive journalism internship in Colombia, I’d never felt so high. But as with any type of high, it’s only a stones throw away from spiralling out of control. For me, that balance was tipped when my friends and I were robbed at knife-point outside our home in Medellin, Colombia. The high I’d been thriving off all summer, mutated into sleepless nights, paranoia and ceaseless voices.

The suspiciousness I felt quickly inverted from being directed at outsiders, to friends. I locked myself in my apartment, arming myself with heavy objects, convinced I was going to be attacked. My flat mates did their best to persuade me I was safe but my paranoia had taken control. They could not hear the voices I could hear. Voices I could not escape from, talking about me, taunting me, leading me into intense hallucinations, the reality of which I never questioned.

Thankfully, my parents arranged for

me to take the first flight home and soon after I returned, I landed myself in a psychiatric ward and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

I have no doubt that the long hours, huge amounts of caffeine, alcohol, disturbed sleeping pattern all played its part in my breakdown abroad. However, these and a range of other factors can affect students while at University. It is difficult to self-diagnose mental illness, however it is far easier to recognise when someone close to you is falling ill. You will notice changes in their behaviour.

They may suffer drastic swings in mood, paranoia, self-obsession and a sudden surge in energy meaning they are incapable of relaxation. Preventative measures for these symptoms include eating and sleeping regularly and reducing stress levels by taking the time to relax and be kind to yourself (i.e. having a balanced and regimented lifestyle). Once symptoms have crept in however, it is essential to seek medical help, potentially on behalf of said person, as all mental illness is ultimately a chemical imbalance which can be rectified with treatment.

Mental illness is a danger we all face and frankly, we all know very little about it. Being aware of the warning signs and reserving judgement of those who find themselves in such circumstances can help us all to reduce the stigma attached to mental health and arm us to help those affected.

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For more information about our vintage events visit our f & t pages : www.facebook.com/University.Vintage.Fairs | @UniVintageFair | Design by Sussex A3 poster.indd 1

15/08/2014 22:00

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

COMMENT • 7

COMMENT What first-year students can do for Sussex..

Alice Nettleship Comment Sub-Editor You get out what you put in; the feeling of satisfaction from helping out others has long been proven as a way to lift mood and battle depression, which is essential when dealing with the challenges of being in a new and sometimes testing environment away from home.

Or, maybe you’ll just find something that looks fabulous on your CV- either way, all first years can do something for their university during their time here.

The Sussex area and, in fact, the University itself are known for promoting planet saving right now (no big deal), especially being the only Green Party constituency.

Get on board with this and join a society: Sussex Waste, Sussex Roots, Sussex Transition and more are all prime examples if you’re feeling verdant, although there’s a great range in general of charity and social action societies.

It’s difficult to find a ‘most political universities’ list without our beloved Sussex starring, so

chances are there will be some likeminded fellows if you want to push a change through, be it here on campus... or all the way to Downing Street.

Our sports teams make up a huge amount of our society list, so get involved. Let’s be honest, the best thing you can do for your University is beat Brighton at Varsity.

Go team!

Sports are also available to play just for fun, so start at whichever level makes you happy.

If you do however manage to spot a gap in our society list (little envious of London School of Economic’s Hummus Soc..), start your own! It’s also a quick way to propel yourself into a leadership role.

Along with societies, there’s also Sussex’s well-polished media act, with URF, UniTV and The Badger covering all the bases.

Content submissions are always welcome so if you have something interesting to say, broadcast it and come to one of our writers’ meetings. Don’t you think your name

would look impressive in print?

To be honest, most of these options boil down to getting involved: you can volunteer for such a range of opportunities from the on-campus, like becoming a student rep for your subject, to giving Sussex a good name further afield.

There’s a regularly updated list online so look around if you’re feeling restless.

Maybe the most important thing you can do, for both our University and yourself, is to get a good degree

– after all, the better we look on league tables the more impressed your future grandchildren/future employer/people on the street will be when you tell them you ‘went to Sussex’.

Fair enough if you’re only a fresher, but keeping on top of your work is the only way you can do any of this if you want to stick around at Sussex for a while and grace us with your face.

Last but not least, due to a strange and wonderful architec-

tural tradition (thank you Sir Basil Spence) the campus buildings are designed with the idea in mind that you should be able to see a tree from every window.

For the sake of university pride, if for some reason you can’t see a tree take it immediately to management – I promise you they will drop everything to get straight on that.

Be sure to check out p.20 for more info on the societies here at Sussex!

Sophie Jones

..What Sussex can do for you Not into clubbing?

Miriam Steiner Comment Sub-Editor

University services The Sussex University administration, as well as teaching you and providing the library and an academic advisor does a whole host of things for students.

The careers and employability centre in the library can help you find a job during or even after your time at Sussex, check over your CV and help you look for internships, as well as running a plethora of events on employability throughout the year.

If you have any issues or queries about academic or personal matters, you can head to the Student Life Centre opposite the library, who can provide you with advice or tell you where to find someone who can help more.

The university also provides a free and completely confidential counselling service that you can attend without being referred.

There are a whole host of ways to extend your learning- you can take language courses over a term alongside your studies, check out open and public lectures, and even attend events like One World Week, which showcase the diversity of the students and lecturers of the university.

Union services

The National Union of Students (NUS) is a confederation of Student Unions throughout the country, working independently from university management.

The NUS works to defend the rights of students and make sure their time in higher education is as fulfilling as possible, representing over 7 million students, including every student here at Sussex. However, what does the Union actually do?

Representation is a big part of the Unions work. If you aren’t satisfied with how you’ve been treated by academic or your school staff, you can ask the Union for advice or to advocate for you in any important meetings.

You can also get advice on most topics, just as you can from the Student Life Centre, but you may feel more comfortable talking to the Union as they are independent from Sussex University.

The Union is also the hub of all societies and sports groups. If you want to join or set up a society, it can be easily done through their website (www.sussexstudent.com).

The Union runs campaigns, elections and referendums you can get involved in.

If you want the Union to have a

policy or make a change, they must hold a referendum on it if you get 150 signature supporting it.

Elections happen once a year for full time officers, part time officers and various other less time-intensive but very important positions.

Remember the full time officers were elected to represent you, and if there is a change you want to happen at the University or Union, they are great people to contact for getting a project off the ground.

As you’ll soon find out, lots of great things happen at Sussex, but if you feel like you need any extra help at any point throughout your time, remember that people are hired by the University just to help students and getting assistance is something everyone does throughout their time here.

Your Week 1 to-do list Register with the medical centre Join a society or sports team Play a game of pool at one of your USSU on-campus bars Get a student membership for the Duke’s at Komedia and Duke of York’s Picturehouse cinemas Try a Krispy Kreme burger from The Globe pub

Louis Patel Letters Sub-Editor

Clubbing to me is a bit like going to prison. Standing in line with semi-naked people in stupid outfits; then having to prove my identity and give my date of birth; being branded with a non-washable stamp on my hand; to finally waiting half an hour for a drink. That’s not my idea of a good night out.

Clubbing seems the only option during Fresher’s Week, but for those that prefer something a little different, there are some alternatives.

It’s always nice to go out for a meal; whether it’s with your flatmates, or with your new best friends from the block opposite.

A great place to eat is Bombay Aloo. It’s a brilliant Indian veggie buffet place to eat; the food is delicious, and it’s all you can eat for just five pounds.

After that, only a short walk away, is a cosy intimate pub: The Fiddler’s Elbow.

There’s a quiz every Tuesday (take a History student – you’ll need one); plus there’s an open mic night, as well as other music nights with local bands too.

Drinks can be pricey, but in my opinion, it’s worth splashing out a little in your first week, whether it is a coffee, or pint.

If you want something a little more upbeat, there’s a little known ,but becoming hugely popular, cocktail bar: B.Y.O.C.

I may as well tell you straight up that it’s a £20 entry fee. Oh, and you have to bring a bottle of your favourite spirit.

However, it’s probably the best cocktail bar I’ve been to.

The bar staff will make any cocktail you like, with their own mixers; sometimes they’ll invent a cocktail if you give them a rough idea of what you like. It feels like you’re in a cool, underground speakeasy, and the strength of your cocktail will make you feel like its two hours before prohibition began.

While I concede it’s pricey, I would argue that you’d spend similar on a night out, and that this venue is so much cooler than a club.

Another great bar/pub is the Fishbowl - cool sixties music, affordable happy hour, and if you so wish: fish and chips.

Riki Tik is perfect for a chilled Jamaican themed drink/food/music night (dreadlocks optional).

For music fans, The Hope is ideal: right down the road from Brighton train station, it’s a pub styled venue, with loads of different acts and reasonably priced drinks.

Another quirky music venue is The Green Door Store ; underneath Brighton train station, it’s a fab night out to laugh and dance, and it’s free entry after 11 pm!

Finally, why not keep it simple? Just take a couple of beers down to the beach with your flat: drink, talk, and sing until the sun comes up. Heaven.

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

LETTINGS & VOTING • 8

LETTINGS & VOTING

Don’t forget: your vote counts Generation rent Abraham Baldry & Victoria Farley Students’ Union President & Comment Editor

students as possible to register their vote, as well as lobbying organizations like the Student Loan Company to make the process easier.

This summer saw a big change Although individuals can to way we vote in the UK- inregister online, to do so requires stead of being listed as part of a a national insurance number, household, everyone entitled to and many students don’t have vote must now register indithis to hand, especially as many vidually in order to be eligible, haven’t yet worked in a job a change that will be more which gives them a P45/6 form and more important as we get (which is where most people closer to the general election would have their NI number), next May. an instant obstacle for students According to the Electoral looking to be involved.

Commission, while 80% of I see these changes in voter those on the electoral register registration as an attempt to would automatically move disenfranchise students and to onto the new system, around alter the outcome of the general 10 million people will need to election by making it more difre-register, including students ficult for students to register. freshly turned 18 this year We’re also lobbying the Stuwho’ve never voted before. dent Loans Company and the I believe that this change is University to make registration producing a major disadvantage to vote an automatic part of the for students, something the application process.

Student’s Union is working to We’re also working with notcombat by encouraging as many for-profit movement Bite the

Abraham Baldry & Victoria Farley Students’ Union President & Comment Editor

Ballot to encourage students to register and empower them to vote. We’re going to be undertaking community organizing to register voters - if this is something that interests you, please don’t hesitate to email me at president@sussexstudent.com.

The general election next year will be a huge event for everyone at the University, and it’s our responsibility to make the student voice heard.

However you vote in the end, remember that your voice is important, and we can make a difference.

Although Brighton is a fantastic city to live in, housing for students isn’t great - it’s expensive and often poorly maintained.

With students expecting pay around £90 a week on rent alone, along with bills and move-in fees, the money cost really stacks up.

According to our 2013 Rate Your Landlord report, students felt that the private rented sector in Brighton and Hove has an insufficient number of properties available, that the properties that are available are generally in poor condition, and the amount charged for them was considered too high for the quality provided.

International students are at a particular disadvantage as most landlords require UK-based guarantor. International students, when unable to produce a suitable guarantor, are often asked to pay the rent for the en-

tire tenancy upfront, a sum that often reaches around £5000.

The Student’s Union recognizes that this is an unacceptable situation for students. We’re campaigning with Generation Rent and other interested parties in Brighton for improvements to the rental market.

Lots of problems surrounding housing stem from the fact that there aren’t enough houses available for renting, and we’re feeding into the city council’s housing strategy to attempt to remedy this.

In the shorter term, we’re going to introduce a new website (working name ‘TripAdvisor for landlords’) that will make it easier for students to both view the Rate Your Landlord findings and find out about prospective houses. The Sussex Student Lettings Agency doesn’t charge tenants any fees, and we’re lobbying the university to act as a guarantor for international students.

We hope these measures will go some way towards improving housing for students in Brighton.

Sussex Student Lettings can save students thousands Dan Greenberg Operations Officer As a reaction to students reporting stories of ‘dodgy’ agents taking advantage of students in Brighton, your Students’ Union set up Sussex Student Lettings in 2012.

This new lettings agency had a mission to change the face of student housing in our city, and had a big task ahead of them.

Thankfully, through the dedication and hard work of our lettings team (whom can be met in real life just off reception in Falmer House), we’ve now registered over 1400 students and let over 50 properties over the past year. That said, the real winners are our student tenants.

A typical lettings agent in Brighton will charge around £200 in non-refundable administration fees per tenant. In an average house of 5 students, this comes in at a whopping £1,000 per group, with no real benefit to the students involved.

Our agency is different. We charge no fees to students.

Not only that, but we also ensure your deposit is kept by the Deposit Protection Scheme – a government initiative to ensure agents and landlords can’t unfairly charge you at the end of your tenancy.

To top it all off, when you move in we’ll give you a welcome pack with all the essentials: toothpaste, loo-roll, tea bags and washing-up liquid!

If you want any more info, either pop in to Falmer House to visit the office, or come to the Freshers Fair on Wednesday.

What happens to the money you spend in the Students’ Union’s shops and bars...?

£140,000 this is the surplus money made yearly by our shops, bars and lettings agency

But where does this money go?

Activities and Volunteering

Representation and Campaigns

Central Admin

Sports Clubs Societies Volunteering

Student Reps Campaigns Student Voice Advocates

Management and Admin Finance & IT Marketing

Why Work for Us We employ over 150 students across our outlets We offer career development through Supervisor positions, and a large number of staff go on to hold full-time jobs in the Union We offer flexible hours to fit work around studying and other extra-curricular commitments *predicited estimate for the year 2014/15

the badger

13 September 2014

WELFARE • 10

RIANNA GARGIULO WELFARE ‘Take Care’ after a night out and get a taxi home It’s a common situation; somehow you end your night with not one penny left and have no cash to get a taxi home.

Many students face this problem after a heavy night out, and that’s why I’m

really proud to introduce ‘Take Care’ as a means of preventing our students from putting themselves in compromising situations when they are at their most vulnerable.

No student should feel the need to walk home alone late at night or have to take the trip by themselves on a night bus just because they don’t have the cash to pay for a taxi that night.

All you need to do: 1. Call Student Taxis on 01271205205 and quote the ‘Take Care’ scheme, giving your name. Arrange a safe meeting point with the driver.

2. When the taxi arrives, hand your Sussex student ID card to the driver who will check the booking details and note down your full name and registration number.

3. When you arrive home, you will be given a receipt detailing the fare incurred.

4. Student Taxis will email the Reception at the Students’ Union with the details of all students who have used the system so that we can contact you to confirm all is well.

5. The next day, visit the Falmer House Reception at the Students’ Union and pay the price of the taxi fare.

Rianna Gargiulo – Welfare Officer

Don’t forget: Don’t Rent Yet! Let’s talk about This year’s Rate Your Landlord survey found that over two-thirds of Sussex students start looking for their accommodation for the next academic year between January and March, a figure which is much higher than the national data for student property searches.

There is a tendency for first years to panic and rush into house shares when they are not fully sure of where they want to live in Brighton, who they should choose to live with, or what is suitable accommodation for their needs.

There is no rush to find housing, and our Don’t Rent Yet campaign is here to remind you not to panic.

We’ve got lots of online housing advice and information about your rights as a tenant in privately rented accommodation including where you can find details of available housing and our guide to the different areas of

Brighton & Hove.

Sussex Student Lettings is the lettings agency run by the Students’ Union. They have a number of properties available to live in all

year round.

They provide housing advice and if you need to find other people to live with they can help find you housemates.

housetohome.co.uk

mental health

In 2012, the University and the Students’ Union signed the Time to Change pledge, which means we are committed to create an inclusive environment which challenges the stigma around mental health.

As your Welfare Officer, I’ll be working this year on ensuring that the policies, procedures, practices and services in place at Sussex meet the needs of students with mental health problems.

Most people don’t realise just how common mental health problems actually are.

There is a spectrum of mental ill-health that ranges from not having much of an impact on everyday life to severely impeding it.

One in four people will suffer will mental health problems in any given year, so the chances are that you’ll get to know someone who

suffers from depression, anxiety, an eating disorder, etc.

We think that it’s best to be open about these things!

Throughout the year we’ll be holding a number of events to raise awareness about mental health and encourage open discussion.

If you’ve just moved into halls you’ll have also seen our Freshers’ zine, produced by last year’s campaign team, which includes wellbeing advice, signposting to services on campus, and tips for talking about mental health with your friends.

You can sign up to our mailing list online at www. sussexstudent.com/mentalhealthcampaign.

We’re always looking for more students who would like to be involved in this campaign. You can email our welfare@sussexstudent.com for more information.

THE BADGER

13 3 MARCH SEPTEMBER 2014 2014

COMMENT FEATURE •• 1011

Victoria Farley

‘The Badger changed my life’ Writing for The Badger can have life-long ramifications, as former Arts Editor Corinne Card found out during her time at Sussex I arrived at Sussex in September 2001 after seven years at boarding school. I was studying Social Anthropology but had always nurtured a passion for writing, so it was great for me to know that an opportunity like The Badger was just on my doorstep.

My first article On weekends, my Sussex friends would usually go home to their parents. After the captivity of boarding, I was keen to explore the world.

I would buy an £11 day return to London and see as many free gallery exhibitions as I could.

It was about one of these exhibitions that I wrote my first article for The Badger; a solemn account of a Hayward Gallery exhibition called ‘Spectacular Bodies’. The Badger published the article along with a photo of David Hasselhoff and I carried it around in my bag for months.

At Sussex I gained a lot of experience writing for The Badger, and in time became the Arts Editor. One highlight was securing an interview with Dylan Moran, when he performed at the Gardner Arts Centre and who, his agent claimed, hated being interviewed. I remember him giving a few one word answers and saying that he kept his money in his toaster.

I loved the way that, by being a journalist, I could get access to places I wouldn’t usually see, like going backstage to interview performers at the Komedia. I also found it freeing not having to talk about

myself, just asking people whatever I wanted while remaining delightfully anonymous.

A glimpse into the journalist / PR relationship As Arts Editor, I was once sent two tickets to see the Lion King in London’s West End. I went with my friend Lucy and at the theatre, the people sitting behind us told us they had spent over £200 on their seats – the joy of journalist freebies! I wrote the article and the photo editors sourced a picture.

“... at the theatre, the people sitting behind us told us they had spent over £200 on their seats - the joy of journalist freebies!”

The following week, during my finals, I started getting calls from a PR lady for Disney, who insisted that the article was republished in the next edition of The Badger with a different image; the ‘official’ photo associated with the production.

This was my first glimpse into the love-hate relationship that exists between journalists and PR people.

We need each other but we hate that we need each other. We despise their overuse of exclamation marks and they resent us for not always getting back to them.

NCTJ at Brighton City College Soon after my Lion King experience, a representative from Brighton City College came to speak to the editors at The Badger about the opportunity to study for a one year NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists) diploma.

The diploma, which I duly enrolled on, included all the necessary skills associated with becoming a journalist. These included the essentials of reporting, public affairs, media law and shorthand, as well as creating a portfolio of work.

Near the end of the course, I started applying for any journalist job going. Many junior reporter posts were advertised solely to NCTJ students. However, getting a foot in the door was tough. I remember being pretty upset when I was turned down by the Worthing Herald.

By the end, I’d applied for so many jobs that I’d run out of proper envelopes, and the bitter taste of rejection prevented me from buying more. When a job at Press Gang News, a London press agency, came up, I stuffed my CV and cover letter into a tiny, novelty envelope.

I like the idea of someone at the agency receiving such an oddly packaged job application. For whatever reason, I was invited for an interview and subsequently got the job.

‘Real life’ journalism in London For my first year, writing ‘real life’ stories for women’s magazines and tabloids, I worked from 8.30am to 8.30pm and my net pay totalled

£800 a month. I found a small room in a house in Tooting with lots of cats for £50 a week.

My boss, a former News of the World employee, had spent time pursuing various celebrities in an attempt to catch them doing something newsworthy. One of the celebrities, a well-loved sports personality, had apparently had spotted him outside his house on so many occasions he had reported him to the police as a stalker.

That was the world I inhabited for a few years when I first went to London. Going out on undercover jobs for national newspapers like The Sunday Times and travelling to new and unfamiliar areas of the country to interview people for stories like ‘Fred West Was My Brother’.

But I loved the variety of meeting, interviewing and exploring the world and other people, and the feeling of exhilaration every time something I had produced appeared in a national newspaper or magazine.

Moving into marketing I now have a (slightly) more grown-up job, working in digital marketing. Luckily for us writers, content is increasingly ‘king’ of the internet, and I was fortunate to arrive, six years ago, in a company with people I enjoy spending time with and which has a really positive working culture. There’s a ping pong table in the office and pastries get delivered on Fridays (we’re also currently hiring, take a look at the atom42 website for vacancies).

Why write for The Badger?

For a writer, nothing quite matches the blissful satisfaction of seeing your own words in print. But for someone at the beginning of their working life, getting published is not just an ego boost, it’s also a major plus for your CV and potentially your future career success.

When an interviewer is able to see that you’ve had the interest and dedication to work hard on something separate from your degree course, and to see it through to completion, it shows them that you are a self-starter. On hiring a team at atom42, and receiving hundreds of applications for each available role, I learned how vital that element of passionate, independent initiative was in an employee.

I would love it if this article could inspire students to write for The Badger. Some students will think that it’s very hard to get a job as a reporter, and that there isn’t much money in journalism, but the experience of writing for a paper like The Badger can prepare you for all kinds of jobs.

Sussex students are lucky to have such a high quality paper on which to hone those skills and the skills that can be gained from getting involved with The Badger are invaluable.

Feeling inspired to write for The Badger? Join out Facebook writers group or come to one of the weekly writers meetings.

Your guide to...

Student Media

UniTV University of Sussex Student Television, known on campus as UniTV, is the University’s official and nationally acclaimed online student TV station. We are a media outlet that thrives to create a connection between Sussex students and what is happening on campus, as well as providing many hours of entertainment created for students, by students.

Anyone can join UniTV- you don’t need any experience within media or even to be doing a media degree. As long as you have a passion for creating great content and are looking for some fun then come along and join us!

We meet every Wednesday in the Silverstone Building at 5pm, starting on the 24th and will be holding a number of training workshops during these first few weeks of term.

All of our content can be found at unitvlive.com or our YouTube channel – unitvlive. As well as being able to keep up to date with more of what is happening behind the scenes on our Twitter @unitvlive, Instagram and Facebook. So keep an eye out because we have a lot in store for Freshers 2014, including daily coverage of events and our first ever Fresher’s week live show on Saturday 22nd!

We look forward to seeing and hearing from you in the future, if you have any questions or just fancy a chat, we will be at Freshers Fair and filming at a variety of events throughout the week, so please do come and introduce yourself!

At the moment we have a wide range of programmes currently being made by UniTV, which means there are loads of opportunities for you to get involved with the station! Our current shows cover a range of topics including local news, events coverage, music and much more, but if you have any ideas or programmes you think we should make or want to make then come and tell us and we will get the ball rolling!

The Badger Newspaper The Badger is the weekly student newspaper funded by the University of Sussex Students’ Union, created entirely by students.

It is the official newspaper for the 14,000 students and staff at the University of Sussex, covering local campus and national student news; the latest sports results and commentary; events in both the university and Brighton itself; features covering a range of topics and issues; and much, much more.

We aim to represent the views and interests of students, and assess the work of your Students’ Union, as well as ensuring we informing our readers about local, national and international issues that affect them as students. You can pick up The Badger for free every Monday on campus.

Writing 1. We have weekly writers’ meetings that are held in the Badger office in Falmer House, University of Sussex campus- check the next issue for details!

These meetings are completely open – anyone can come along, any week.

You don’t have to have written before, and you don’t have to make a

regular commitment – one of the best things about The Badger is that we have new writers every week. Our team of editors will give you all the help you need to write a great story, and will be there to help you with anything you may need! To find the office, go to the first floor of Falmer House, venture left through the Common Room and up the wooden staircase. Our door will be open for writers’ meetings, otherwise just knock – we don’t bite!

2. If you can’t make the meetings, don’t worry – we give out plenty of stories by email and you can always send us your own ideas as well. Just email badger@sussexstudent.com to be added to our mailing list.

3. Join the Badger Writers group on Facebook! We find our writers for articles there and through the email.

4. Simply email the appropriate section with your work.

URF Radio Station What on Earth is URF?

Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Frightened Rabbit, Alt-J and many more.

URF stands for University Radio Falmer, and it’s been a part of the University Of Sussex’s campus since 1976. We’re a student-run radio station that’s open to everyone, you don’t need any prior knowledge of how to be on the radio, because URF is here to give you that experience.

If you combine all of the things I’ve mentioned, not only does it mean that URF is a ridiculous amount of fun, but it also looks really good on a CV, especially if you want to get a job in the radio industry.

Once you get inside the URF studio, everything else is up to you. You could turn your hour-long radio slot into anything! It could be a soapbox for your opinions, or a showcase of the music you love, or maybe it could be a platform for your very own brand of comedy!

So, if you want to have some fun doing what you love whilst getting some great experience contact us by emailing Station.manager@urfonline.com, or heading to our Facebook page; www.facebook.com/URFOfficial Oh, and don’t forget to check out our website: www.urfonline.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

There are quite a few different roles you could take in URF; Presenters who do all the talking, producers who organize the shows, but also do a bit of chatting too, the tech team who pop up and organize the sound equipment, the news team who deal with current affairs, and then there’s the music team who pick new songs, and interview bands. You can mix and match any of these teams; it’s up to you!

Being the radio station of a university next to Brighton gives us loads of great opportunities. URF members have interviewed Bastille, The 1975,

Your Elected Officer I’m Paul, your new Media Development Officer. I have the duty of chairing the committee which decides and splits the funding between The Badger, URF and UniTV. What my job also involves is supporting each outlet to ensure the right structures in place so what we’re producing day-to-day is of sound quality, and I’m making it one of my top priorities to get some of our famous alumni to come back to share wisdom with students to help us create stuff of genuine prowess. Watch this space.

University is a place where we must measure what we value, not know the price of everything and the value of nothing- that’s why much of the stuff you can create for something like The Badger, you might never be able to again. Therefore, it’s my primary mission to get more students reading and contributing to The Badger online and in print. If you’re around Library Square on weekdays, you’ll see me handing out the newspapers with a writer whose work has been featured in the newspaper that week.

I want as many students to enjoy the thrill of being involved in student media as I have. For me, a university is an academic environment for people with curious minds to freely debate, experiment with new (and old) ideas, and scrutinise the world around them. It’s important that student media contributes something to an extremely wide range of students whose journeys arise from both affluent and humble beginnings.

Did you know that the director of BBC radio, Helen Boaden, ‘started her journalistic career on campus radio’ here at Sussex? Supporting URF, I’m hoping to get URF broadcast regularly in Falmer Bar and a few of the university cafes. Making radio is something you should do with people you have a natural rapport with: your flatmates, people on your course. That’s why I, along with the rest of my URF, have set up a new membership system which makes it cheaper for groups of friends to sign up for slots.

I want student media to become an informative, educational and amusing mouthpiece for the sharing of ideas of a range of individuals and interesting cultural, religious, political groups on the Sussex campus.

This is my single biggest challenge: to justify the prestige and improve the reputation of the media outlets on campus by making it possible for many more students to be involved in consuming and curating the content of which they fund.

If you’ve got ideas and you’re finding it difficult to get through to the executive teams of our respective outlets, contact me at mediadevelopment@sussexstudent.com.

Student Media Day - Thursday 18th September, 1-5pm Calling all wannabe journalists, photographers, film makers, radio presenters, bloggers, illustrators, writers, designers and reviewers - Student Media at Sussex needs you!

Join us in Falmer Common Room at 1pm for an introductory talk and workshops from all of the media outlets of Sussex. If you can’t make it for 1, just pop in any time for a chat about how to get involved!

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

SCIENCE • 14

Weights and gravity to power new seafront attraction Amy Leckerman Construction of the world’s first ever vertical cable car is now underway on the West Pier site in Brighton.

The £46.2 million project, named the Brighton i360, is a 162 metre high tower that will raise passengers in a viewing pod up by 138 metres, providing magnificent views of Brighton and up to 30 miles of Sussex coastline.

The project will reward Brighton with the tallest observation tower in Britain outside of London, and is due to add up to £25 million of revenue per year to Brighton’s economy.

At first glance we may have all made the same assumption that the Brighton i360 seems to be what is essentially a fancy glass lift, which visitors will step into at ground level and be raised up to the top.

However, creators of the new attraction, which is predicted to draw in over 700,000 visitors a year, claim the i360 is far from this.

The structure is in fact based on cable car technology. Whereas a lift is extremely energy-intensive through using electricity to transport passengers, cable car technology relies on gravity and counterweights for this role.

“When the pod goes up, the counterweight goes down; when the pod is at the bottom, the counterweight is at the top,” explained a representative.

SCIENCE FACTOID OF THE WEEK

The components of the cable car, such as the cable, the wheels and the drive motor, are conventionally laid out horizontally.

However, this is where the Brighton i360 gains its unique quality.

In this innovative structure these parts will be positioned vertically, hence why it has been termed a vertical cable car.

The viewing pod, which will have a music and entertainment system as well as a bar and seating area, will be connected to a huge 70-tonne counterweight inside the tower, by a range of cable-car type cables.

The representative continued explaining: “When the pod is full and ready to ascend, the motor kicks in briefly to make the pod rise up, and then when it is at the top, very gentle brakes are applied to allow it to descend slowly to the ground.

“Almost the entire process is done by weights and gravity – not electricity”.

Sustainable design and energy efficiency have been the focus for those behind the i360. Firstly, because the counterweight weighs slightly less than the empty pod, the motor will never have to lift the whole weight of the pod – it will only lift the difference between the pod and the counterweight.

Secondly, both the pod and support building have been designed to have a low ratio of external surface area to internal floor space, making them too highly energy efficient.

Makers of the i360 want to set a

MAGPIE MYTH DEBUNKED The age old fact that magpies are attracted to shiny objects has recently been cast in doubt. When University of Exeter experts carried out experiments on the matter, they found that the black and white fiends tended to avoid the shiny objects, rather than take them.

Experiments were carried out with both wild and captive magpies to ensure fairness. Captive magpies did not make any contact with the shiny objects at all.

new global standard in terms of creating a sustainable attraction. Natural ventilation will be used to cool the building, toilets will use harvested rainwater, and the use of low flow washbasins and water-efficient dishwashing equipment will limit fresh water consumption.

Furthermore, the viewing pod will be thermally insulated, and have double-glazing and mechanical ven-

tilation in order to both control air quality and temperatures, and limit energy usage.

Fortunately for Brighton residents, there will be little noise and atmospheric pollution during construction given that the tower will be manufactured in Holland, whilst the Pod is produced in France.

However, the scheme has been criticised for creating visual pollu-

tion. Some have opposed the i360 for spoiling Brighton’s current skyline whilst others have even deemed the structure an “eyesore” and “visual monstrosity”.

The attraction is due to be completed in Summer 2016. It is sure to be a major tourist attraction come the end of the year after next whether or not everyone is pleased by the arrival of the i360.

“Beam me up Scotty!” - truth or TV fiction?

Chris Dudley

weeklybird.com

brightoni360.co.uk

“Beam me up Scotty!” is by far and away one of science fiction’s most recognised misquotations. Throughout the history of Star Trek, the transporter system has been an integral part to the plot of many an episode.

Despite starting out as a budget saving MacGuffin, this curious technology has become an essential technology in many sci-fi TV series and films.

The cost cutting device does represent a holy grail of transport though; being able to get from A to B instantaneously.

No more tedious waiting in line to top up your Oyster, no more being packed into tight containers shooting through tubes underground, or being propelled through the air in the cattle class of modern airlines.

The key to transporters lies in the baffling world of quantum physics.

This is the area of science where sub atomic particles can inhabit all possible places in space until we look at them, and where certain cats are either dead or alive. So how close are we to transporter technology?

Well, physicists at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at the Delft Uni-

versity of Technology in the Netherlands recently ran an experiment where they successfully moved quantum information between two quantum bits separated by about 3 metres (10 feet).

Essentially, a certain piece of information was transferred over a distance, without the information actually travelling the distance; teleportation!

The next challenge for the teams based in the Netherlands will be to repeat the experiment over a distance of 1300 metres, so roughly the distance from Falmer House to the top of Northfield.

This may all sound promising, and you may be tempted to pre-order your personal transporter already. Sadly, teleportation on a human scale is not going to be happening any time soon.

Just imagine all the billions of bits of information that make up who we are. Imagine being able to teleport each and every one of them in exactly the right order, to exactly the right place. It doesn’t take a degree in statistics to work out how many things could go wrong.

Even the nature of the concept of transporters is a sobering one, if you

startrek.com think about it.

Every time Kirk transported in Star Trek, his atoms were essentially disintegrated on the spot, then other atoms were used to reassemble him on a planet’s surface, for example. Everything about what he was has quite literally been destroyed, and all that remains is a copy.

Is the Kirk who is now chatting up a green alien on the planet the same Kirk that was chatting up a blue alien on the Enterprise the night before? Is the new Kirk even the same consciousness, or has he died…frequently?

Granted, one can make the point

that this sort of thing is happening all the time, just on a much slower scale. Our cells die and decay, and are replaced by new ones, which are made from materials that we have to consume. Most of the stuff that makes us up today is not the same stuff that made us up a few years ago.

Would you risk disintegrating yourself just to have a copy of yourself be assembled at your destination? No matter how far transporter technology may or may not come, this philosophical issue is the one that will always cast a shadow on this curious field of science.

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

TECH • 15

Are the tides changing for online piracy regulation?

Alex Grønmark Do recent stronger measures against online piracy mark the end of an era, or are police and service providers fighting a losing battle against a generation of tech-savvy, non-paying consumers?

Tackling online piracy has always had an image problem. Prison sentences have ranged from timid to non-existent.

Statistics tell us the majority of the under-30 crowd have illegally downloaded something, while unabashedly silly sitcom ‘The IT Crowd’ used the arrest of its lead characters, for pirating a film, as surreal humour with no bearing on reality.

Yet behind the laughs there lies a problem. With slowly ebbing revenue, groups are currently putting pressure on police to tackle the issue or risk allowing whole sections of the digital economy to crumble.

Statistics reveal worrying trends with grave implications for both the future of intellectual property and our ability to use the internet freely.

In 2009, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry estimated that 95 perfect of all music downloaded online was not paid for, while Musicmetric’s 2012 study ranked the United Kingdom second only to America for music piracy,

costing the economy £500 million annually.

It is only recently that police and service providers have taken the true nature of piracy into account and used calculated action to stem it. Though, for many, their efforts will seem to clash fundamentally with our freedom online.

On 7 August 2014, it emerged that a 20-year-old male from Nottingham had been arrested for breaching anti-circumvention laws pertaining to online property; in this case, hosting a proxy site that allowed British users to bypass service provider blocks on illegal filesharing.

The arrest followed an investigation by City of London-based Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) as part of their ongoing campaign against piracy.

Detective Chief Inspector, Andy Fyfe, claims the force is now targeting: “every aspect of how copyrightprotected material is illegally being made available to internet users”.

This statement serves to highlight the shifting paradigms of police involvement in online crime. As a globally uncontrollable phenomenon, the force has increasingly been using localised tactics to combat piracy on a national level.

Currently six UK service providers (including Virgin Media and BT)

are required to block Torrent sites like the infamous Pirate Bay. The initial block was a concerted effort by music industry group BPI, in conjunction with the High Court, to quell a damaging rise in illegal downloading.

Initial reaction to the blocks was apathy, due to the ease with which users could bypass them. However, as of June 2013, the BPI was also entitled to add proxy sites and other circumvention methods to service provider ban-lists.

The arrest in Nottingham will come as a shock to many, being one of the few notable examples of an individual being punished for aiding and abetting intellectual property theft.

With Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde languishing in a Swedish prison—which is probably about as unharrowing as it sounds—it seems that faces are slowly being attached to a once faceless (and purportedly victimless) crime.

This is not coincidence. A 2011 report by NetNames suggested that piracy is increasing exponentially, by then accounting for 23.8 percent of all internet access in North America, Europe and Asia.

Unless action is taken, these trends are poised to cripple business sectors that are cornerstones of the global economy.

Considering the public outcry that would arise from the petty arrests of millions of downloaders, it seems the police have little choice but to move in this new direction, mainly by targeting those enabling free content downloads and thus condemning the entertainment industry to death by numbers.

Yet despite the incarceration of

its founders, Pirate Bay continues to operate from the idyllic surrounds of the Seychelles, just off the coast of Somalia, ironically.

With this in mind, the Nottingham arrests seem to reek of desperation. The British police are tasked with an insurmountable challenge that, some would argue, distracts from far more important work.

Alex Grønmark

Sussex student makes waves with honeypots and antivirus software Jordan Ellis Tech & Science Editor This year, a malicious piece of software was discovered causing havoc with the unfortunate Android devices that were infected.

The virus, named “Android/Simplocker” was discovered back in June and would lock various photos, videos and documents found on the user’s phone. This content would remain locked until the user paid a ransom.

Enter Simon Bell, a recent Computer Science graduate from Sussex, who created an antidote to the virus and has made waves amongst the tech community.

Bell’s solution essentially unlocked all of the files encrypted by Android/Simplocker without the user having to pay the ransom.

He went about dissecting the code of the virus and discovered that, surprisingly, the virus included both the decryption method and also the password to decrypt the hijacked files.

Bell had this to say about creating his antidote, “The antidote was incredibly easy to create because the ransomware came with both the decryption method and the decryption password”. However he warns, “Future versions of advanced smartphone ransomware will likely prove significantly harder to reverse engineer”.

This may be the case, but for now, he has prevented Android/Simplocker from becoming a widespread problem and the files on our phone are safe as the aforementioned mal-

shutterstock.com

ware has yet to be discovered in any apps available on Google Play or the alternative app stores.

Bell recently graduated from Sussex and worked on creating a “honeypot” for his final year project.

Now for those of you out there who are unfamiliar with the term “honeypot” in the context of tech (I don’t blame you), a honeypot is “a trap set to detect, deflect, or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorised use of information systems” as Bell describes it on his own website.

What this basically means is that you attempt to trick the attacker into attacking a computer network, which is actually set up to be a trap.

You then log the details of this illicit activity for later analysis. Phew!

Still with me? Good.

Back to the a more familiar topic of discussion, Bell has also worked

on dissecting malware packaged inside popular apps. More specifically, he has dissected malware inside the infamous game we all love to hate, Flappy Bird.

To those technical minded individuals out there reading this, you can find out more about this honeypot and see Simon’s progress and blog posts on his work at securehoney.net.

Or alternatively, if this doesn’t mean much to you, there is still relevance to be found in this story.

We should be proud that someone from our university has been talked about in a worldwide community.

Having been featured on multiple well renowned and respected tech blogs, our phones and computers might be a little bit safer thanks to the work a Sussex graduate has contributed to the global cyber security stage.

Feeling inspired by this week’s Tech news to get involved?

Have something related to Tech you want to write about?

Email badger-tech@ussu.sussex.ac.uk or come along to one of our weekly writer’s meetings to get your article in print!

THE BADGER

13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

ARTS • 16

ARTS

33 Things to do in Brighton Without Setting Foot on the Pier So you’ve survived your first night on campus, and you’re probably pretty hungry too. Starting with a burger, kick back and let Badger Arts find you a new haunt.

5 Best Burgers

Troll’s Pantry

1. The Troll’s Pantry Found lurking in the kitchen of The Hobgoblin near St. Peter’s Church, The Troll’s Pantry is hands down the best burger in Brighton, and so affordable too!

With its rotating menu of locally sourced, sustainably prepared and inhouse minced patties, the only thing that isn’t delicious is the name of the burger you’re eating.

However, with the cheap option, the Paladin at £6 and the heavyweight Swine at £9, I’m not complaining.

2. Grubbs With four locations across Brighton and Hove and more than a dozen different burgers, Grubbs is fast food at its finest, so lets not catch you in McDonald’s.

3. Bar-B-Q Shack @ The World’s End Notable for its American Style BBQ menu with American sized portions.

4. Burger Brothers Top class takeaway burgers for a touch more cash than a BK. 5. Meatliquor Keeping it simple, beer and burgers.

We recommend the Dead Hippie Burger.

3 Record Stores

3. Well Rounded Found above Rarekind, this store is run by members of the former Well Rounded label.

Very friendly guys, go in for a browse and chat about underground electronic music.

5 Restaurants for Voracious Veggies 1. Iydea The idea is to serve up fast, fresh and environmentally friendly food for an affordable price, and boy does it work.

With hot and cold veggie delights served in a canteen style from £5 to £8, check them out in hectic North Laine or quieter Western Road.

2. Fil Fil For me the best falafel in town, this Middle Eastern street café offers wraps, pittas, salads and a full range of mezze. Make sure you add Halloumi.

3. Foodilic With two locations in the city centre, this place is garnering quite a reputation.

All you can eat for £6.45 on North St and a lovely Deli-Cafe on Western Road.

Meat dishes served too.

4. Bombay Aloo Fantastically affordable all you can eat Indian veggie cafe, lunchtimes £4.95.

5. Food For Friends Top quality vegetarian café/restaurant, a little tough on the student pursestrings though. We recommend their cheese scones with chilli jam.

1. Green Door Store Located right under Brighton station, Green Door Store is without doubt the most hip and rustic of venues in the city, which is nice if you like flagstones and Brooklyn lager.

With a gig most nights, Green Door draws everything from surf-pop upstarts to metal tribute acts.

Some recent highlights include Forest Swords, East India Youth, The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die and a Sussex Student’s own festival in a day ‘Fat Dog Party’.

2. The Prince Albert This little sweatbox of a room above ‘that pub with the Banksy mural’ on Trafalgar St. is a great spot to catch up and coming bands from Brighton and further afield.

A few highlights have included Speedy Ortiz, Iceage, Girl Band and local lads Rainslicker.

The Albert has some of the best sound you’ll get in Brighton, but tickets sell super-fast because this place is TINY. 3. Concorde 2 Brighton’s answer to the academy sized venue.

Popular for their consistently top bookings, The Fall, Mac Demarco and Jungle are to grace this stage in the next term alone.

Add to this the raucous atmosphere of sold out shows and you’re onto a winner.

However, we’d recommend getting the 23 bus down to the County Hospital because it’s quite a trek along Madeira Drive from the pier otherwise.

4. The Old Market Half way to Palmeira Square along Western Road sits The Old Market.

This delightful theatre-cum-gigspace fills a similar hole to Concorde 2, but with a less dingy and more cultured feeling environs.

Here we’ve seen Slint and Stephen Malkmus in the last few months as well as Kozel on tap, all of which were a treat.

1. Resident Found in the midst Kensington Gardens, Resident is record store heaven.

They have tonnes of CD’s and local gig tickets on offer as well as a great array of new release vinyls.

The staff are friendly, knowledgeable and always happy to give you a recommendation.

I hear a friend of a friend comes down from London just to pop in, that’s how good it is.

2. Rarekind A nice little shop for Funk, Soul and Hip-hop records on Trafalgar St

5 Great Gig Venues

The Argus

5. The Hope A lot like The Albert, this place is a tiny and frenetic spot for upstarts above a pub on Queens Road; we’re particularly excited for Honeyblood and Fear of Men later this month.

Small Batch Coffee

4 Cafés for Espresso Enthusiasts

1. Small Batch With their own roastery, blends and eight locations in the city, it’s hard to miss Small Batch in Brighton.

Serving artisan hot drinks ethically and delectably, you no longer need to go to Starbucks.

2. Ground Found at both extremes of the city in Hove and Kemptown, Ground serves up some damn fine arabica and breakfasts to die for.

Nick Cave is said to be a regular,

sadly we’ve not seen him just yet.

3. The Marwood This kooky coffeehouse tucked away on Ship St caters to those of us who enjoy chaotic interiors and spacious secret gardens.

Add to this their self-professed ‘deranged menu’ of bites and you’re onto a winner.

Our coffee’s a piccolo.

4. Nest Nestled in the frantic Kensington Gardens, this trendy little café is seriously passionate about its coffee and cake.

Well worth it for a break when retail therapy turns into retail torture.

THE BADGER

13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

ARTS

5 Hangouts for Culture Vultures Thomas Powell & Raymond Jennings Arts Editor & Arts Sub-Editor 1. Fabrica Situated within an old regency church in the centre of Brighton, Fabrica is a gallery committed to commissioning new works by contemporary artists.

The architecture of the building itself is crucial to the three exhibitions held each year, as the artists are challenged to create a site-specific work of installation art that embodies the character of the space in which it resides.

Fabrica, unlike many galleries, is not an archive of acclaimed works of art; rather, it is a place artists come to create new work.

Be sure to check out the upcoming Simon Faithfull exhibition, opening on October 4th, to see this unique gallery at its best.

2. Duke of York’s Picturehouse As the oldest and longest running independent cinema in the country, Duke of York’s Cinema is not only the best cinema in Brighton but also one of the most respected art house cinemas in the UK. Don’t let the phrase ‘art house’ put you off; Duke of York’s may be known for screening independent cinema, but it also screens many of the year’s biggest blockbusters.

With a second location above Komedia in the heart of the North Laine

and a fantastic and affordable student membership deal, Duke’s means you’ll never need to go to Odeon again.

3. University of Brighton Gallery With exhibitions ranging from end of year degree shows to collaborations with the Brighton Photography Biennial, the University of Brighton Gallery might be the only worthwhile reason to step over to the other side.

Located on Grand Parade, the building also contains the Sallis Benney Theatre, at which you can expect to see an interesting programme of films and public lectures.

As the exhibitions are always free, you’re welcome to pop in at any time – just remember to leave your new Sussex hoody at home.

4. Phoenix Brighton Phoenix is a charitable organisation committed to the promotion of the arts.

Within the large, multi-storey building it calls home, you can expect to find a unique programme of exhibitions, a wide range of short art courses, and a whole host of small studios for artists to use.

Whether you want to see new works of art or learn how to make them, Phoenix is always worth a look in.

5. Komedia Komedia should be remembered as your first port of call for live comedy, as a whole host of up and coming comics often make the trip down to Brighton to play this renowned venue.

Komedia isn’t all about comedy, however; the venue also hosts unique club nights and gigs, and is also home

ARTS •17

Duke’s at Komedia

to the second site of the Duke of York’s Cinema.

6 Trusted Taverns 1. The Druid’s Arms This pub, something of a hidden gem in town, is located just off The Level.

With student deals every evening, including £1.99 rum or vodka mixers, an artsy but homely interior, and a remarkably friendly barman wearing lederhosen (yes, really), The Druid’s is a unique, lively and lovely pub.

when you can.

student pub.

3. Twisted Lemon Twisted Lemon is easily Brighton’s most affordable cocktail bar, and arguably one of the best to be found in town.

With drinks ranging from £3.50 to £8, the drinks menu is wide enough to suit all tastes and budgets.

We recommend trying a Wray and Ting.

5. The Basketmaker’s Arms The Basketmaker’s Arms is one of Brighton’s worst kept secrets.

This tiny pub is famed locally for its cheap booze, amazing food and friendly bar staff; the only problem is that this fame makes the pub very busy.

Head down early on a Sunday afternoon for the best roasts in Brighton.

4. The Hobgoblin Probably the loudest pub in town, the Hobgoblin is a great place to go before a night out.

Located on York place between the mighty Langelees and Aldi it offers great music and cheap student drinks deals, as well as a good collection of cask ales and ciders, and a huge beer garden; The Hobgoblin is the perfect

2. The Black Dove First thing’s first: The Black Dove isn’t exactly cheap.

It is, however, very unique; the tattered, somewhat art-deco inspired pub boasts an impressive collection of craft ales, imported beers and delicious cocktails, and is also home to monthly afro-beat, jazz and other specialist music nights.

You probably won’t be able to afford to head over to this eccentric Kemptown taproom often, but you’ll love it

6. The Worlds End Found in the ever more gentrified London Road locale between crafty Hare and Hounds and cushy Alcampo Lounge, The World’s End is a no nonsense watering hole done the Brighton way.

Locally brewed Laines Lager at £3, Bar-B-Q shack grub and a big screen for the footie make it a go to for thirsty students.

The Black Dove

“Let’s Build A Scene”: A Few Words from Sussex Records

Sean Fitzpatrick President of Sussex Records Throughout the past fifteen years, Universities have seen a steady decline affect their once substantial role in the music industry.

The once mandatory campus dates of a blossoming new band’s UK tour are no longer the staple they once were.

The halls of Essex, Leeds, UEA, and indeed our very own Sussex, amongst many others hosted a litany of talent

between the 60s and 90s, as some of the nation’s brightest acts won over droves of the influential student fanbase on their way to the top.

However, the rise of the internet has led to the eventual demise of the academic circuit.

Whilst originally bands and record labels made their profits on the back of record sales; meagre Spotify royalties and illegal downloads mean that the only real money is made out of touring, which is so often the vital infrastruc-

ture that supports the career of a fledgling breakthrough act.

With Universities feeling the pinch as much as anyone in the current economic climate, the fees demanded by performers just to break even are far higher, meaning that live music on campus is no longer a priority, or indeed a viable option for either the University or the music industry as a whole.

This is where we come in.

Sussex Records, a new student soci-

ety at Sussex are aiming to change all that, starting with the introduction of the inaugural ‘Sussex Festival’: an event where we harvest the pools of raw creativity and talent of our phenomenal student body, and provide a platform for them to showcase their abilities to a wide audience.

We have been lucky enough to unearth a wealth of student performers on the back of the excellent work done

by Sussex Live Music last year, and to ignore and fail to support that talent would be criminal.

The festival is on October 8th 2014, and will comprise four stages throughout campus with a huge array of wildly varied Sussex student performers onstage all through the day, before building up to an amazing crescendo with our headline acts in Mandela Hall at the end of the night, and finishing off with a raucous after-party with our inhouse DJs until 3AM in Falmer Bar. This promises to be one of the biggest student-organised events on Sussex Campus in recent history, where we blow away the cobwebs of the past decade and announce Sussex as the

home of the re-emergent University music scene.

On the back of Sussex Festival, and in the wake of the new Music Technology course starting this coming term, we will then turn our attention to recording twelve acts throughout the year. We book an act time in the studio before mastering, pressing and releasing EPs from Sussex students into the wider world. One of the main barriers for people looking to break into the music industry is the cost of professional recording.

We aim to provide that, along with generating hype and media exposure to allow performers to build up enough momentum to smash their way into this most cut-throat of industries.

We want to get the message out about our acts, and expose them to an audience beyond that of the small circles of the previous year.

We want Sussex’s best-kept secret exposed for all to hear.

We want you to be a part of the movement we intend to nurture, be it as a performer, a producer, a promoter or perhaps most importantly: a fan.

Grab your

2-4-1 selected cocktails stoli vodka &mixer £2.50 sHARING PITCHER £12 HOOCH £2.50 AMSTEL DRAUGHT £2.50 PISTON HEAD £2. 50 SIX SHOT STICK £8 2-4-1 PIZZAS & HOT DOGS 50% OFF FOOD WEDNESDAYS*

Only

At the bar !

BRIGHTON

THE BADGER

13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

ARTS

ARTS • 19

Editor’s Picks

Arts Editor Thomas Powell takes you through some of the cultural highlights of Freshers

Union Events Sussex Language Café Falmer Back Bar Every Tuesday 5-6.30pm Come to the Language Café to practise speaking and have fun.

It’s a great opportunity to meet other students from different cultural backgrounds and enhance Mutation X - William Latham your language learning without the worry of formal study.

Fuck Buttons

VISUAL ART Mutator 1 + 2: Evolutionary Art by William Latham Phoenix Gallery, Brighton Digital Festival Wednesdays-Sundays 11am-5pm (until 13th Oct)

The Fall Press

GIGS The Fall Concorde 2 Thursday 25th £22

We saw The Fall at Beacons in August: frontman Mark E Smith kicked the sound guy in a wild rage. Get down to Concorde for infamously deranged, aggressive post-punk.

Amelia Troubridge

GIGS Mazes Bleach Sunday 21st £7

FILM 20,000 Days on Earth w/ live satellite Q&A Duke of York’s Picturehouse Wednesday 17th - Sold Out

Sitting up there with TRAAMS (who play The Haunt 25/9) as the cream of Brighton’s FatCat label, this Krautrock revival trio are sure to lock you into a motorik groove.

Preview screening of a quirky new movie starring Brighton’s own Nick Cave. Followed by Q&A with Cave and directors Forsyth and Pollard.

ART Keith Vaughan: A Volatile Medium Brighton Museum Now - 9th Nov Free

An exploration of the British artist Keith Vaughan’s final 15 years of creativity, focusing on his work in gouache: the ‘volatile medium’.

Freshers Free Shop Falmer House Meeting Room 1 Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th, 11am-3pm

FatCat Records

Union Buddy Scheme All Year Long Starting at University can be daunting.

Whether it’s leaving the family home, moving to a busy city like Brighton, or moving country altogether, getting used to a new way of life is exciting but can leave some students feeling a bit isolated.

That’s why the University of Sussex started up the Buddy Scheme, which is a peer support scheme with many added social opportunities.

It was launched last academic year

and has proven to be very popular, benefitting the 315 students who participated.

The Buddy Scheme is run by the Students’ Union and helps incoming students settle into life at Sussex by matching them with current students who provide informal support by regularly meeting up and sharing their experiences and tips.

The scheme offers the opportunity to make new friends from all walks of life and be a part of something that celebrates diversity in an informal, fun and sociable way.

There is a series of events for Bud-

Come along and help yourself to anything you want from the Freshers Free Shop: kitchenware, books, stationery, creative materials, homewares, bedding - all donated by students living in halls last year. dies to enjoy which vary from pub quizzes to trips to London, offering new experiences.

The scheme is open to everyone and encourages interaction between student groups who otherwise may not have spent time together, such as First Generation Scholars, International and Home students, students from different schools of study and different year groups.

The Buddy Scheme runs exciting projects working closely with University departments and student societies.

These include collaborating with Sussex Centre for Languages to hold

Section of ‘Two Figures Interlinked’ - Keith Vaughan

regular Language Cafés (see above) that provide students with an informal, social space to practise languages; working with Sussex Sport to introduce the new Active US project offering free activities and non-competitive sports sessions to Buddies; and organising events with the International Student Support Team such as an International Food Party which was really enjoyable and very tasty!

For more information or to get involved: www.sussexstudent.com/ buddyscheme

WATCH, WRITE, REVIEW Get involved in the Arts team by joining us at our writers meetings or searching on Facebook for

Badger Writers

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

SOCIETIES SPOTLIGHT - 20

SOCIETIES SPOTLIGHT

Societies are groups of students with a shared interest who arrange an amazing array of activities, events and campaigns throughout the year. Joining a society is a great way to meet new people, help build your confidence, introduce you to something new or allow you to carry on your passions.

Societies are open to all students and you can view and join all of our 150+ societies online at www.sussexstudent.com/societies.

Here are just some of the great societies we have here at Sussex...

CHOIR

We’re choir! We tend to do more ‘classical’ stuff than other singing groups at Sussex and we don’t hold auditions. We sing for the official University Christmas Carol Service on campus and put on a concert at the end of the Spring term. Other things we do include busking in town last year we did spooky Halloween busking (in fancy dress) - and carol singing at Brighton station! We get involved with University and Students’ Union events whenever we can, from the turning on of the Christmas tree lights in Library Square to the Students’ Union ‘Sussex Live!’ event. We’d love to see you at a rehearsal soon - come and see what we’re about! Mondays in term time, 6.15pm, upstairs in the Meeting House.

SMUTS

The Sussex Musical Theatre Society have been running for over 20 years and each year bring together great people interested in musical theatre, performance arts and all other sorts of theatrical things. Each year the society puts on a big musical

in town, holding open auditions and putting together a cast, band and crew of over 30 people. Over the last 3 years the society has put on ‘RENT’, ‘Spring Awakening’ and ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and this year is performing ‘Sweeney Todd’. There will be loads of incredible events going on all year round for people interested in performance art, so come see the stall at the Freshers Fair or come to open auditions on the 22nd and 23rd of September in Falmer House! You don’t need to bring or prepare anything- see you there.

cheer squads, ‘all girl’ and ‘co-ed’ (mixed gender). We also have dance squads who perform in Jazz, Pom and Hip Hop categories. We train hard, but we also play hard at our weekly socials, numerous charity fundraisers and our famous squad tour. Competitive cheerleading can be demanding but is also very rewarding. Training and competing requires dedication, strength and a commitment to team work.

It is a sport for both men and women, so boys, don’t be put off by the stereotype, we need your strength and power to be a winning team!

Contact us at facebook.com/ SASS (South Asian Students WavesCheerleaders or at at Sussex) is a cultural soci- waves.cheer@hotmail.co.uk ety aiming to bring together people from different parts of South Asia. We try our Hi there, we’re the Model best to create a ‘home away UN Society! We organise from home’ feeling, especial- weekly debates on topics ly for those who find it dif- which the United Nations ficult to settle into an alien discusses; travel to Model country in their initial days UN Conferences around the at University and we do this UK and Europe and organby organizing lots of cultural ise events for charity. Last events and festival celebra- year we travelled to Brussels tions. Throughout the year, for WorldMUN, the largest the society organises differ- Model UN conference in the ent kinds of events that not world, organised by Haronly cater to South Asians vard University. With over but to students from all na- 400,000 students participattionalities, such as Diwali, ing in Model UN conferences Holi, Bollywood nights and globally, they are a fantastic way to meet students from movie screenings. all over the UK and Europe.

For the first time at Sussex, Brighton and Sussex Waves we are going to be hosting are a competitive cheerlead- our own conference later ing squad who currently hold this year! No debating expeNational and International rience is required to join so Championship titles. We come along and have a look! perform in 3 competitions We will be at Freshers Fair so every year at both national come and say hi. and international levels in various parts of the counFrom the society that try; last year we performed brought you LOST and TAKE in Bath, Nottingham and ME OUT comes another year Bournemouth. Our team of fun and fundraising! Raisconsist of two competitive ing and Giving, or RAG, is a

SASS

MODEL UN

WAVES CHEERLEADING

RAG

society shared by universities across the country, aiming to fundraise in the most outrageous ways possible! Last year we raised £72,544.78 for several charities and our aim is to get every member of the University involved in RAG, whether that’s by climbing Kilimanjaro or buying a cake from one of our cake sales. Look out for more exciting events throughout this coming year, including picnics, pub quizzes, Man vs Food, and comedy nights – as well as our once in a lifetime international challenge trips! Check us out on social media on the USSU website for more information, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

IRANIAN

The Iranian society was established by a group of Iranian students in 2013 to represent the Iranian culture by coordinating different cultural events for international students. Last year we celebrated different traditional ceremonies such as Yalda (the longest night in the year which involves music, poetry and loads of wine!), Iranian New Year and CharshanbehSoori (last Wednesday of the year = fireworks!) to familiarize students with Persian art, music, and literature.

We have also organized food events to introduce our cuisine and held a photo exhibition showcasing the life of Iranian youth. We also hold picnics and barbeque days when it’s sunny! So join us if you like music, good food and you are interested in learning about a new culture.

nomic awareness about and among the Nigerian community and friends of Nigeria at Sussex University. We aim to encourage awareness of Nigeria within the Sussex community and foster collaboration amongst students from across the world. The society also represents the interests of Nigerian students within the framework of the larger Students’ Union. It also hopes to dedicate itself to the promotion of the study of Nigeria and Africa within the Sussex community. Our activities for the year include organizing social events, sponsoring a midyear conference in 2015 and the creation of a Sussex Nigeria Society open-source students journal (SNSjournal).

SPANISH !Hola amigos! The Spanish Language Society hope to have another successful year of getting to know students from other countries and speaking and improving our Spanish through social events! We want to bring together Spanish speakers of all levels and take part in Spanish/Latino activities!

Some of us are returning from years abroad in Latin America and Spain and come with lots of ‘ganas’ to share the Spanish and Latino fiesta culture that we experienced, as well as new cooking skills!

Come along and visit us at Freshers Fair where you can talk to us more about future events and the organization of the society!

FRESHERS FAIR!

To hear from all these socities and many more, make sure you come along to our The Sussex Nigerian Society official Sussex Freshers Fair aims to nourish cultural, in- on Wednesday the 17th of tellectual, political and eco- September. All stalls will be just outside Falmer House.

NIGERIAN

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

SPORTS • 21

SPORTS Welcome to your Student Union sport teams Welcome to the University of Sussex Students’ Union sports page! The Badger will feature weekly articles on all sports clubs, results, sports news and events.

You can also find out more information on our website www.sussexstudent. com/sport-societies-media or visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/studentunionsport. Alternatively if you want to pop by and chat to us face to face you can find us on the first floor of Falmer House in the Activities centre!

Enjoy your freshers week!

To find out about the sports club trials, please see the tables below.

Whether you’re a beginner or a professional,there’s something for everyone so don’t forget to get involved and stay active this year.

Peter Collins

‘Active US’ is a partnership project between the Student’s Union and Sussex Sport and is dedicated to introducing the students of the University of Sussex to unlimited fitness and sporting opportunities on and off campus. From yoga and dance, to traditional sports, to mountain biking and bouldering, be a part of our activity and social calendar to make the most of your University experience and enhance your graduate employability by getting involved with sports on your doorstep. There really is something for everyone, of all abilities. Get involved now!

Sports Club Trials Thursday 18th September

Friday 19th September

Saturday 20th September

Sunday 21st September

American Football (Mixed) - Falmer House - 6-8pm Football (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 4-6pm Netball - Sussex Sports Centre - 5-7pm (Hall 1) Squash (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 4-6pm Squash (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 6-8pm Table Tennis - Mandela Hall - 5-7pm Tennis (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 1-3pm Tennis (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 3-5pm Trampolining (Mixed) - Sussex Sports Centre - 3-5pm (Hall 1) Volleyball (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 7-9pm (Hall 1)

Archery - Sussex Sports Centre - 3-6pm (Hall 2) Basketball (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 3-5pm (Hall 1) Basketball (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 1-3pm (Hall 1) Cricket (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 11-1pm (Hall 1) Kick-Boxing - Sussex Sports Centre - 1-4pm (Dojo) American Football - Falmer Sports Complex - 4-6pm Fencing - Sussex Sports Centre - 11-1pm (Hall 2) Squash (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 12-2pm Squash (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 2-4pm Tennis (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 1-3pm Tennis (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 3-5pm Volleyball (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 1-3pm (Hall 2)

Badminton (Mixed) - Sussex Sports Centre - 6-8pm (Hall 2) Fencing (Mixed) - Sussex Sports Centre - 6-8pm (Hall 1) Football (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-5pm Frisbee (Mixed) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm Hockey (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 5-7pm Hockey (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm IMA (Mixed) - Sussex Sports Centre - 6-8pm (Dojo) Table Tennis - Mandela Hall - 5-7pm Rugby (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm Rugby (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm Volleyball (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 4-6pm (Hall 2) IMA - Sussex Sports Centre - 2-4pm (Dojo) Badminton - Sussex Sports Centre - 12-2pm (Hall 1) Netball - Sussex Sports Centre - 2-5pm (Hall 1) Trampolining - Sussex Sports Centre - 5-7pm (Hall 1) Volleyball (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 12-2pm (Hall 2) Basketball (Men) - Sussex Sports Centre - 4-6pm (Hall 2) Basketball (Women) - Sussex Sports Centre - 2-4pm (Hall 2) Football (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-5pm Rugby (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 12-2pm Rugby (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm Frisbee - Falmer Sports Complex - 2-4pm Hockey (Men) - Falmer Sports Complex - 4-6pm Hockey (Women) - Falmer Sports Complex- 2-4pm

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

ACTIVITIES • 22

ACTIVITIES

Men’s rugby captain vows this year will be different Jonathon Turpie The men’s rugby team has been reinstated, inevitably the choruses of both cheers and boos follow.

The decision for the Union to overturn the team’s ban a year early was one of contention among the student body.

Nothing made this clearer than the comments section in the article ‘Should the men’s rugby team be reinstated?’, which ran in The Badger last year.

The poll showed 82% support in favour of reinstatement, encouraging, but the 18% who weren’t are the ones who took my attention.

As the club captain for the upcoming year, for nearly 1 in 5 people to be against the clubs reinstatement, was unacceptable.

It suggested two things, firstly that the club needs to continue to evolve and change and secondly that we need to be more transparent and communicate these changes better.

Last year, under the ban, the Sussex Exiles were formed

with the help of the national rugby body, the RFU. During this year we managed to keep boys playing rugby in the local community and RFU led development fixtures while undergoing a real ethos shift.

The charity work and commitment we showed to changing was recognized by the RFU in the form of a national award and by the Student’s Union in the form of reinstatement.

But that was last year, and the fear that the old rugby boys are back following the reinstatement is all too palpable.

So, this is our first step as a club in helping to appease those fears and hopefully prove to you, the students of Sussex, that the rugby team deserved their reinstatement.

We have listened and collaborated with the Student’s Union, particularly the Activities Officer, Lyndsay Burtonshaw, and will continue to do so – I was truly shocked to hear how some of the Sussex students felt about the rugby team.

Intimidating and sexist

were terms that were used to describe the team.

This is unacceptable and a behavioural shift is something that needs to be at the core of our club.

This article is here to outline what’s been going on within the club and what you can expect from us in the coming year: 1) Every member will sign a comprehensive code of conduct that they will have to keep and read prior to coming on the first social.

This outlines all behaviour that will not be tolerated and failure to uphold the code of conduct will lead to expulsion from the team.

Should you wish to see this

code of conduct; copies will be available at our Freshers’ Fair stall and please feel free to discuss them with us.

2) We will be coordinating the running of ‘I <3 Consent’ workshops for all the sports teams throughout the year to help better understand the complaints some students make and how to avoid them in the future.

We will also be looking to foster links with other clubs and societies through joint charity ventures and socials to open up lines of communication with the clubs and let you get to know us better.

3) Last year, we managed considerable charity efforts

and managed to retain nearly 70 players.

This was all without any support from the Student’s Union. Being reinstated was vitally important to us as a club because it allows us the Student’s Union support.

This will allow us training facilities, coaching staff, BUCS fixtures, varsity fixtures, guidance and support regarding internal disciplinary matters and funding that we need to be a prosperous club.

With them, this club can continue to build on the changes we have made, the charity links we have forged and hopefully resurrect a very successful sports club on the playing field.

The Mirror

Holi? Day of the Dead? Activities has you covered

Malcolm Tam

Malcolm Tam

As well as helping student clubs and societies to organise and budget for their own events and activities throughout the coming year we will be working in partnership with our sports clubs and societies to put on fun, informative and entertaining cultural events for all our students to share in.

Previous successful events that now fall under the One World Sussex umbrella include Eid, Day of the Dead and St. Patrick’s Day; as well as continuing to celebrate these events, this year we will be expanding our cultural calendar to include many more. If this is something you would to add to or take part in, please do not hesitate to get in touch!

You can email us at activities@sussexstudent.com, tweet us at @ActivitiesUSSU, or simply visit our offices in Falmer House.

Don’t forget your gym membership! Visit http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sport for details

THE BADGER

13 SEPTEMBER 2014

REPS AND ELECTIONS

Bethan Hunt Education Officer

My name is Bethan and I’m your elected Education Officer. One of the main roles of my position is co-ordinating the Student Rep scheme.

After Freshers’ Week and when your course has fully kicked in, you may begin to notice how there are aspects of your course

that you would want to see starting, stopping or being continued. This could be anything from assessments, timetabling, course packs, reading materials, lecture halls or your online forums.

The Student Rep scheme is set up for this very reason, for students to have a say in how their course is run.

Students are in the best position to comment on the quality of their course and so to me, the link that the Student Rep scheme creates is invaluable.

I will be at a Student Rep stall during Freshers’ Fair with some experienced Reps to talk to you about the scheme. If you have any questions about the scheme

please come and talk to me then, and I will be happy to help! Alternatively email me at education@sussexstudent. com.

I will be running some informal sessions during week one, (with lots of free cake) which I will be advertising once the dates have been confirmed.

I would really encourage you to nominate yourself, I understand that it can be intimidating given that you have just arrived, but we give you all the training required to become a cracking Rep, you just need to come ready to be enthusiastic and friendly!

Student Reps do make such a difference, and in the past

have achieved saving courses which were going to be cut, moving office hours to times more suitable for students and changing the way students receive feedback.

Becoming a Rep also offers ways to meet other likeminded students as we hold socials throughout the year which create the chance for you to get together with other Reps! It’s a great opportunity to get involved and fantastic experience.

If you don’t fancy nominating yourself as a Rep then make sure you have a say in who represents you! They will be there to support you if you encounter any problems or need an informal chat about your course.

Make sure you vote and

REPS AND ELECTIONS • 23

have a read of the manifestos of those who have nominated themselves. Voting is online so it will only take you a couple of minutes and you may win a kitten* (*not actually true).

Dates for your diary Nominations Open: Friday 12th September Nominations Close: Monday 29th September Elections Open: Monday 6th October Elections Close: Friday 10th October Results Announced: Monday 13th October

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20/08/2014 13:06