2014, Term 1, Issue 1

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University paying recruitment agencies to hire managers Zoe Halse News Sub-Editor The University of Sussex has hired the services of specialist recruitment agencies on 22 occasions in the past 10 years, The Badger has discovered.

Responding to a Freedom of Information request issued by this newspaper, the university recorded that it has commissioned a third party executive search firm to assist in sourcing and recruiting suitable candiates for top managerial positions 22 times since January 2004, a rate of over twice per year.

In 2014 alone, the university has hired headhunting firms a total of four times.

The university jusitifed the expense paid out to third party recruitment businesses, defending it as a “cost effective” means of recruiting the most outstanding candidate for each vacant position.

Typically, the role of an executive search firm has been to source appropriate candidates for senior and highly specialised positions within an organisation.

In certain cases, such specialised recruitment firms have also been known to act as an intermediary to investigate whether a preferential candidate would be interested in moving to a new employer, as well as dealing with the remuneration and employment contract.

While the university regularly utilises the services of executive search firms, the Freedom of Information findings indicated that they do not directly employ any executive search consultants on their pay-roll.

The Badger did request the total amount the University of Sussex has been charged by headhunting firms over a period of ten years, but the university declined to disclose these figures on the grounds that producing them would prejudice the instituions “commercial interests”.

They said that while they considered

Sophie Jones the public interest in being transparent with their commerical dealings as a public authority, relasing precise figures would compromise the university’s “strong negotiating position”.

The university also declined to provide the names of the succesful canidates who were appointed to senior positions as a result of hiring headhunting firms.

Justifying the university’s collaboration with third party recruitment firms, A University spokesperson said: “The University wishes to seek out and appoint the best candidates from a wide range of backgrounds when filling senior positions. The use of executive

search firms is one way of helping to do this in a cost effective manner.”

It is not known which recruitment firm the University has previously commisioned in the past 10 years but a respected human resources blog estimated that there are over 10,000 specialist recruitment firms in UK, the second most in the world after Japan.

Ree, a Journalism student and Stephanie Lait, a Spanish and Italian student, reflected that: “It does not seem unreasonable for the university to source their own candidates for these positions.”

They added: “The spending is not directly in the student body’s interests, it

would be different if it related to say, academic staff”.

However, a second year English Literature student commented: “At a time when universities are only giving their staff a two percent pay increase, I don’t think the university are being really cost effective by paying for these firms.

“To save money, I really think they should be making use of their own internal recruitment process rather than becoming reliant on third-party organisations.”

The executive search firm industry has more than tripled in value since 1990 and was worth 10 billion dollars globally in 2012, 40 percent of which

was derived from the UK. Although seeking assistance from executive search firms feels out of practice slightly during the financial crises, it has once again been on the increase since 2009.

Particularly in the United States, executive search firm’s acting on behalf of high profile universities and colleges is well know to be a lucrative practice.

For example, Ohio State University spent up to $300,000 during the recruitment process for their new president, nearly $222,000 of which was paid in fees to executive search firms for their part in the eventual appointment.

the badger

29 September 2014

IN PICTURES What’s happened on your campus

in pictures • 2

this week...

Malcolm Tam

Will Jones

Shima Jalal Kamali

Malcolm Tam

Malcolm Tam

Malcolm Tam

the badger

29 September 2014

NEWS • 3

$ussex Uni make profit on ID cards Alex Ferguson News Sub-Editor The University of Sussex has made £35,770 in gross sales in the last five years on the reissuing of lost and damaged staff and student ID cards.

In a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Badger, it was revealed that Since 1 January 2010, 3577 ID cards have been reissued due to loss or damage to the original.

Identification cards, which are currently replaceable at a charge of £10 per card, incur a production cost of approximately £2, leaving the University of Sussex with gross profit earnings in the region of £28,616 in the last five years.

During the 2013/14 academic yea, the University re-issued 906 ID cards due to loss or damage, before the university passed responsibility for producing ID cards to a third party supplier at the beginning of the year.

The University insist that they do not make any profit on the reproduction of Student ID cards, but that any surplus they do garner is reinvested in producing ID cards for the new intake on students every year.

According to the University website,

the University of Sussex ID cards are an “essential accessory” being the only means of entering the library and ‘required identification’ for students sitting unseen exams. The University ID card terms and conditions also state that ‘students must possess a valid ID card for the duration of their studies’ and are required to “carry the card when on University premises”.

One third year politics student who lost their ID card last year has said: “our student ID cards are vital to so many aspects of our studies and University life and for them to charge us for it is quite outrageous.

“What their basically doing is using the money they recoup from lost ID cards to help pay for freshers ID cards, something they really should be paying for by other means, seeing as they class your ID card as essential”.

A second student who accidentally lost their card in the University Library seconded that: “it seems stupid to charge for such an essential item when it is often an easy mistake to make”. They continued to express their indignation at the University’s charges saying “it is unfair that the University seems to profit off the misery of students who have had the

Debbie Batchelor misfortune of losing an ID card”.

However, another student said that the £10 charge acted as a great incentive for students to take care of their ID card.

He said: “It’s an inconveniance only if your not careful with your ID. If you take care of it, it simply doesn’t affect you”.

On 1 January 2014 Sussex University itself ceased the production of ID cards for its staff and students. Instead, re-

sponsibility for the production of University ID cards passed to a third party supplier who is believed to be Sussex Estates & Facilities LLP, a partnership between the University and the construction group Interserve.

When asked for their opinion on the £10 fee, the University of Sussex said that they believed it to be “a small charge for a replacement card” and that, with

regard to the £8 gross profit, “any surpluses would contribute to the costs of producing the ID cards that we issue free of charge to thousands of new students every year”.

The Sussex University Students’ Union has said that, in light of this information, “we will be following up on why this has happened and will also try to reduce the cost to a fair price”.

Former Chancellor Attenborough dies Jack Williams News Editor Former University of Sussex Chancellor and award winning film director, Richard Attenborough, passed away last month at the age of 90.

His death was confirmed by his son Michael, who said that he died at lunchtime on Sunday 24th August.

Richard Attenborough was one of Britain’s best loved actors, making his silver screen debut as a young stocker in the patriotic war film In Which We Serve in 1942.

He also stared as gangster Pinkie

Brown in the popular film Brighton Rock, and over the next five decades appeared in numerous critically acclaimed films, starring alongside Steve McQueen and James Garner in The Great Escape and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.

Lord Attenborough later became a successful film producer and director, with his crowning moment coming in 1982 when he directed biographical film Ghandi, for which he won best director and best picture at that year’s Academy Awards.

He earned many honours in his life. He was made a CBE in 1967, before being appointed a Knight

Bachelor in 1976. Furthermore, in 1993, he was awarded a life peerage as Barron Attenborough of Richard Upon Thames.

Lord Attenborough had a long streak of involvement with the University of Sussex, firstly becoming a patron for Gardner Centre for the Arts in 1969 until he eventually rose to the role of president in 1990.

When the Duke of Richmond relinquished the University of Sussex Chancellorship in 1998, Lord Attenborough was appointed to the post, which he held until 2008.

Professor Michael Farthing, Vice-

Chancellor of the University, paid tribute to the institution’s former Chancellor, stating: “Lord Attenborough was a great man in all respects. We are so proud that among the many roles he played, one of them was as our Chancellor.

“We will remember him for his vitality and commitment in supporting the university, for his unshakeable belief in the value of education, and for his immense warmth and kindness.”

Prime Minister David Cameron also gave his own tribute to the renowned director. He said: “His acting in Brighton Rock was brilliant,

his directing of Gandhi was stunning – Richard Attenborough was one of the greats of cinema.”

Figures from across the entertainment industry also paid their tributes to Richard Attenborough.

Fellow actor Ben Kingsley said of him: “”I along with millions of others whom he touched through his life and work will miss him dearly.”

Comedian Rickey Gervais called him “one of the true greats of the silver screen”, while Stephen Fry took to Twitter to say that Lord Attenborough did “so, so much in so many arenas”.

Student assaulted at welcome party Daniel Green News Sub-Editor

A student was a victim of a serious assault at the Students’ Union welcome party, one of the key events held on campus during freshers week.

The event, which attracts hundreds of students each year, the majority of whom are freshers, was tainted by the attack which took place in the early hours of Monday morning.

Sussex Police report that the student was left covered in blood after being head-butted by an unknown man near the marquee, where the party was taking place.

It was reported that a student passing by the event helped the student to York House where he received first aid by the secuity staff, who promptly called an ambulance.

The paramedics then alerted the Police, who attended the scene soon after.

In a statement, Michael Segalov, Communications Officer for the Students’ Union, said: “The Students’ Union, along with Campus Security, have been assisting the Police with their inquiries related to this incident.

“This incident marred what was an incredibly well attended and otherwise peaceful event and no other incident of anti-social behaviour was reported by the large security presence we had on the night.

“Our thoughts are with the student in question and his family as we hope for his quick and full recovery.”

It was also noted by the Students’ Union that the first aid team at the event also had to deal with nine mi-

nor injuries.

The University also wished the injured student a swift recovery and said that security and student safety was a high priority.

A University spokesperson said: “The University of Sussex campus, which is home to more than four thousandstudents, is an extremely safe environment, with very low levels of crime.

“These types of alleged assault are very rare on campus.

“We have an extensive range of security measures in place, including 24-hour security patrols, a network of CCTV cameras, emergency phones, free personal alarms, and a lone-person ‘walk-home’ service.

“We also workclosely with Sussex Police to reduce crime on campus and to provide support and advice to stu-

Malcolm Tam dents who are victims.

The Police and the University are appealing for witnesses with information about the attack to come forward.

Any persons with information are asked to contact DC Simpson DS253, Brighton CID: tel 101 ext 550253, reference 0044 15/09/2014.

Got a news story to share with us?

Email: badger-news@ussu.sussex.ac.uk

THE

BADGER

the badger

29 September 2014

NEWS • 4

Brighton students second most economical in UK Jagrati Agarwal NatWest bank’s 2014 Student Living Index ranked students in Brighton as being the second most economical in the whole of the UK. The Student Living index, with this year’s instalment being it’s eight study in total, ranks how smart students are with their money, meaning those who pay the least while being able to obtain all the essentials to survive while studying.

“We have ranked 25 popular university towns and cities in an order that shows us where in the UK have students been most prudent while spending their money” say NatWest in its 2014 Students Living Index survey.

This year’s study places Brighton in second place, narrowly behind Glasgow but ahead of 23 other cities, including Edinburgh, London and Manchester.

Students studying in Bristol, Newcastle, York, Liverpool and Cardiff, which came bottom on 25th, were deemed to be the least prudent in the UK. The NatWest report suggests Brighton is an affordable city, con-

trary to an earlier report published

by HSBC that named Brighton as one of the most expensive cities after Oxford.

In line with the earlier report, the Natwest survey suggests that students in London incur the highest expenditure (£15.10) on travel every week, but are closely followed by those in Brighton (£12.50). In contrast, the cycle-friendly town of Cambridge weekly travel costs for students are substantially lower (£1.50). On average, students are spending £6.50 on travel per week, according to the survey.

The survey also indicates constrained expenditure on alcohol by students across the country.

Students in Bristol have the highest weekly expenditure on alcohol (£12.90). Students in Brighton and Nottingham, along with ten other university towns, spend under £10, resulting in an average of £9.80 per week.

Students at University of Sussex offered mixed reviews regarding the report. Frankie, a second year History student, said: “Brighton is a really expensive place. I need to astutely manage my finance by dividing it appropriately each week.”

75 percent of student houses have mould, says Move’m Rosie Dodds News Sub-editor Students have ranked Brighton as having some of the least adequate student housing in the south of the UK, according to a student accommodation review site.

In a recent survey, Move’m, a website that enables students to review their student housing and expose ‘bad landlords’, showed Brighton to be not only one of the most expensive in terms of rent, but the city that harbours the worst mould problems, heating issues, and houses in the worst condition, in comparison to other student hot-spots, Southampton and Bournemouth.

The report declared that only 43 percent of student houses are in a “generally good condition” in Brighton, with 75 percent of student properties being observed to suffer from excessive mould.

In comparison, Southampton has a marginally lower proportion of student properties with mould problems (67 percent), while Bournemouth has the least student properties burdened by moulding (40 percent).

In addition to this, the report shows that the average monthly rent in Brighton for students can add up to £416.91, with Bournemouth only at £352.25, and Southampton even less at £329.50.

Therefore, students in Brighton are paying around £70 more, but for poorer conditions, as only 58 percent of Brighton students would go on to recommend their property.

59 percent of students that have

lived in a privately rented property in Southampton would recommend their property, while for Bournemouth, the figure stands at 72 percent.

Student properties in Brighton were also the most frequently troubled by heating complications, with 30 percent of students admitting to have had such problems.

One student from Brighton, who lived in a mouldy property, commented: “I got lung problems due to inhaling the mould from my room and from the bathroom while showering.”

Another student said: “I had to throw away so many clothes and possessions due to everything in the house becoming mouldy. Also, I developed a horrible skin condition, my boyfriend developed asthma and our other house mates developed illnesses of some sort.”

When asked what can be done to improve tenant satisfaction, Peter Ramsey, the managing director of Move’m, stated: “I wouldn’t buy anything online without reading a review, so why do people sign up to houses without checking first?

“The best thing students can do is just be aware of the options and do some research. Don’t rush into anything and put money down on the first house you see”.

Peter also admits that while this problem is nationwide, it’s just more obvious in Brighton as the housing is “very expensive”.

Sophie Jones She stressed that transport and buying books gets really expensive and therefore, there is a need to cut short on eating out.

Arushi Singh, a student from India, claims that Brighton is as expensive as her hometown, New Delhi. She said, “The cost of setting up pinched me initially but with suitable budgeting each month, I should not find any major difference in the prices.”

Nicola Harris, NatWest Media Manager, reiterated that factors such

as income from part time work, parental contributions, grants and living and leisure expenditure, were all taken into consideration while putting the report together.

Harris also affirmed that the average student rent (£78.60) per week was considered while compiling the bank report. On being questioned if international students were surveyed as well, she said, “No, it was 100 students from each city living in the UK who were spoken to.”

The survey also found that students in Cambridge, Oxford and London are spending the largest portion of their money on eating out. Students in Cambridge are the biggest spender (£21.50) weekly on eating out, although they spend the least on alcohol (6.80).

The research also indicates that students in Glasgow spend the most (£28.90) on weekly groceries, while students in Reading spend the least (£19).

March for England move 2015 parade from Brighton Jack Williams News Editor

English Nationalist group ‘March for England’ have elected not to hold their annual parade through the city of Brighton next year.

The far-right group’s decision to hold their St Georges Day parade in an undisclosed northern city means that 2015 will be the first year since 2008 that Brighton has not been earmarked as the venue for the event.

March for England announced that although they have opted to “alternate” between different cities each year when hosting their St. Georges Day parade, they still have plans to return the event to Brighton in 2016.

March for England’s organising of their annual event on Brighton’s seafront has previously elicited passionate counter-demonstrations from anti-fascist groups, such as ‘Stop the March for England’ (StopMFE), which describes March for England as “Islamophobic, racist and homophobic.”

Welcoming the news that the March will be absent from Brighton next year, Tony Campbell, a spokesman for StopMFE, said: “We welcome the news that next year’s St George’s Day will not be marred by gangs of racist thugs marching in the streets of Brighton.

“This is a victory for a city that was prepared to come out and defend its reputation for tolerance and diversity.

“We will offer our support to anti

racists in whichever city or town the March for England chooses to afflict next – if they change their minds then we are ready” March for England announced their final decision to host their annual protest away from the south coast on their Facebook group, stating: “It has been decided to now to alternate our St Georges Parade between Brighton and other venues, 2015 will be in the North at a Sea front location in talks now on location.

“2016 will be back in welcoming seaside resort of Brighton.”

A total of 27 people were arrested following the march in Brighton on 27 April earlier this year after a flare up of violent clashes between marchers and counter-demonstra-

tors. Of the 27 arrested, three were charged, including one who was charged with assaulting a police officer.

The controversial march has come under stern criticism in recent years due to thousands of pounds being spent on policing the event, with on-duty officers usually being required to form cordons between the opposing groups to avoid further unrest.

A survey undertaken by the Business Improvement District concluded that the city’s business and trade industry also suffered as a result of this year’s march, with losses predicted to be in the millions.

Times Higher Education

The Argus

the badger

29 September 2014

NEWS • 5

Sussex doesn’t score well in LGB equality guide Rosie Dodds News Sub-editor The LGB equality charity Stonewall has recently published a guide, Gay

By Degree 2015, to help inform current and prospective students how gay-friendly each university in the UK is.

Stonewall has measured each university up against a set of ten criteria including how much support there is for lesbian, gay, and bisexual staff and students, how the universities tackle homophobic bullying, and what societies exist for LGBT students.

Six universities have managed to score full marks in the 2015 guide: Cardiff University, Liverpool John Moores University, Sheffield Hallam University, University of Essex, University of Glasgow, and York St John University.

This result proved to be a large improvement from the 2014 result where only two universities came top.

Ruth Hunt, the Chief Executive of Stonewall, has stated: “There are a record number of university places available this year and prospective students who are lesbian, gay or bisexual will want to study where they will be supported and developed”.

Therefore, it is unfortunate that for the University of Sussex, three criteria marks have been left out which have prevented them scoring full marks in Stonewall’s guide: No anti- homophobic bullying policy and mandatory training, no student sexual orientation monitoring, and no Stonewall diversity champion.

Ruth Hunt has also added that: “it is particularly concerning that only 35 universities are monitoring student’s sexual orientation leaving them no way of telling if they’re providing a positive experience for gay students. We hope that this year’s guide prompts universities to do more to make campuses a welcoming place for all students”.

With Brighton having long been considered the UK’s gay capital, it appears surprising that Sussex University hasn’t joined the six universities with full marks in Gay By Degree 2015.

Sussex isn’t the only Brighton based University not to make it onto the best scoring list though, Brighton University also missed out on three accounts: No student sexual orientation monitoring, no explicit welfare support and info for LGB students, and no LGBT staff network.

The Students’ Union works hard to support LGBT students. Rianna

Gargiulo, USSU Welfare Officer, said ‘we won the Campaign of the Year for our Trans* Equality campaign at the NUS LGBT Awards in 2014. We have secured gender neutral toilets across campus, my predecessors’ work has meant that staff in University departments are trained in trans* issues, and we will be holding a Sussex Pride event in October for the first time. I will continue to work with LGBTQ students to continue to campaign on issues and obstacles which students at Sussex have identified.

A University spokesperson said:“The University of Sussex community is incredibly diverse and many staff and students are attracted to the University because of the inclusive atmosphere on campus and in the city of Brighton. “But of course there is always more that we can do. We will continue to work with the Students’ Union and staff representatives to make campus life better for our students and staff.”

Campus Thatcher banner burned

Pete Humphreys

Jack Williams News Editor A banner featuring former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which was briefly suspended above the Arts A building, was removed and burnt last week.

The banner could be seen displayed above the Arts A lecture building since the first day of term and featured a quote from the former stateswoman.

The banner reads: “Socialists cry ‘Power to the people’, and raise the clenched fist as they say it. We all know what they realy mean – power over people, power to the state”.

The banner was believed to have

been removed on the night of Monday 22 September.

Photos of the incident suggest it was taken to Brighton seafront and burned.

It is unclear who hung up the banner and who was responsible for its burning.

Baroness Thatcher was elected Prime Minister in 1979 until she was ousted by her own Conservative Party in 1990.

Some of her policies divided public opinion of her, such as the privatisation drive in the 1980s and her hard-line stance against public sector striking workers.

She died on 8 April last year at the age of 87.

Freshers week round up Love Brighton?

Calum Roberts Students’ Union Activities Administrator

As Freshers Week draws to a close, we take a look at the exciting opportunities on offer at this year’s Freshers Fair, which took place on the 17th of September.

Evolving year on year to accommodate for the increasing numbers of students choosing to study at Sussex there is “anything and everything you can join” says Joanna Vidal from the Sussex Marrow Society. Via both societies and sports clubs which provide a regular and welcome relief from seminars and lectures, giving you the ability to engage in new and varied activities outside of your normal study commitments.

This year’s fair was the biggest ever, with over two thousand visitors, and with representatives from over two hundred societies there was something to suit all tastes, however societies were not alone.

Amy, a new fresher said that she was ‘surprised by the choice of sports’ on offer, with the list evergrowing, thanks to the new sports, such as the Sailing club.

The weather and atmosphere fused well, with “lots of energy” according to Sam Duthie, President of the Chess Club, and great weather giving stalls the perfect environ-

Malcolm Tam

ment to gather large amounts of sign-ups from interested freshers.

‘Biggest ever’ was the word of the day amongst many societies, surprised by the response from the students and their interest in their respective groups.

However the excitement was not merely from freshers, with clubs relishing the opportunity to meet prospective students.

Sussex Snow, who reported having their biggest year for sign-ups at the fair commented on the great vibe of the event, with the president Charlie Skinner, surprised that people were so interested, they were signing up for membership on the spot!

For some clubs and societies the event sets the agenda for the year, with their success in recruitment di-

rectly affecting the events they put on. Smaller clubs, such as Lacrosse, in their first year at the fair said the ability to promote the club to increase expansion was an eye opener, “that’s why fresher’s fair is so good” stated Josh, part of the Lacrosse team.

Don’t forget, clubs and societies are a great opportunity to meet new friends with similar interests when settling into your university life, and there is no bar to joining or going to taster days, even if you did miss the fair itself.

Whatever or whoever you are, you are sure to find something which appeals to you within the societies and sports here at Sussex, so get stuck in and don’t be afraid to try something new!

Indi Hicks Community Engagement Administrator Make the most of your time as a Sussex student by becoming a Community Rep. This varied and exciting role offers many possibilities; design your own community project or event, represent the student voice locally, get involved with community

discussions and campaigns, meet key decision makers, help bring Sussex students and longer-term residents together.

Training and on-going support will be given to all Community Reps.

For more information go to www.sussexstudent.com/ volunteer or send an email to indi.h@sussexstudent.com.

www.thouronaward.org

Fully Funded Study in the USA Up to TEN awards, each with a total value of approx US$90,000 per year, covering tuition fees and living expenses, including travel in the USA, will be available (for one or two years) from 1st September 2015 for candidates who wish to pursue a postgraduate programme at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.

Applications are invited by 5pm on 3rd November 2014 from UK university graduates, including forthcoming summer 2015 graduates, who are British citizens normally resident in the UK.

For further details visit www.thouronaward.org or contact Jennie Eldridge, Award Administrator on +44 (0)20 7848 3376 quoting ref TA14.

15108_Thouron_Badger_360x298.indd 1

Thouron Awards were created by Sir John and Lady Thouron for the promotion of academic exchange and experience in international friendship between the UK & USA.

in association with

18/09/2014 16:20

the badger

29 September 2014

Some Friendly Advice Dear Badger, Having seen Sussex’s Freshers week a second time round, a pang of jealousy struck me, which is what prompted me to write this letter. Below you’ll find a nostalgic second year’s advice: FRIENDS FROM HOME – If you have friends you knew from home that happen to be at university with you, that’s great.

Stay in contact with them however make sure to find other friends too. Besides if you both make friends that will mean many more people to socialise with. Simple logic, no?

CLUBBING/GOING OUT – I’m sure many of you students are going through the very same confusion every fresher goes through when inundated with random Facebook friend requests from people all over Brighton. Most of these are likely to be promoters (not always a bad thing). Nevertheless, don’t feel that clubbing is the only way of drinking or socialising. Skint Tuesdays at East Slope and now Wednesday’s at the Globe in Brighton are a much cheaper alternative if you want to drink. You’ll also find this to be a more efficient way of actually meeting and talking to people.

SOCIETIES - Did you see freshers fair? You couldn’t miss it!

There was at least one society for everybody. Even if there wasn't, still try something new, even as just a taster session.

Most societies are completely run by students, all with the same intentions: to enjoy a shared interest with fellow peers. This is a brilliant way to meet new people. Why deny yourself this opportunity?

BE THAT GUY – Don’t be afraid to make the first move talking to people; the first couple of weeks is extremely important for this whilst the freshers buzz is still present on campus. Make the effort to talk to the person sitting next to you in a seminar or in a lecture.

Or say hello to the person you sat next to on the bus the day before. Simply doing this will help you meet so many new people. Why not?

EXERCISE – Without a doubt, suddenly being allowed to having a sneaky treat whenever you please is one of the privileges of being a student. However, with the potential increased alcohol intake, make sure you learn to cook healthily at the beginning or you will not be as healthy as you were before university. Go for a jog, join the gym. Even being healthy is a way of meeting people…

You'll figure it out along the way, which is all part of the fun.

Daniel Deighton

Deliverance Dear Badger, My whole summer has been leading up to this moment.

My third year at this glorious university is my last chance to see my words immortalised in print under the Badger’ reputable name.

After creating a scrapbook of all my previous Badger entries, I set out on a quest to make this moment perfect. All summer I have been squeezing my creative lemons, honing my craft for just this moment.

I began two blogs and scribed on them as often as possible, ensuring that when I came to pen this letter, I was wholly prepared.

These blogs were not all fun and games; they took hard work, determination and real grit to accomplish.

Yet here I am, and here this is.

My letter immortalised in print under the Badger’s name. My toil has paid off.

Signed, Anonymous Admirer

Letters • 7

In a Nutshell: Fresh-Off! Dear Badger, Like all Freshers, I had been looking forward to coming to Sussex to start my degree.

Having already completed my foundation year, all the new activities were all but novel to me; but I understand that this is a week that comes all but once in your lifetime and not worth wasting.

I moved into my flat on the Sunday and met my flat mates: two fresher's, a third year, fourth year, and one person I’m still yet to meet (apparently she exists).

I like my flat, because you rarely hear any noise, except of course the sound of Radio 4 soothing from my speakers.

Most of us seem calm and collected and not rave centered; perhaps not ideal for the party minded, but I guarantee come essay and exam periods and the quiet will be cherished.

I see less of the people I met during my Foundation year, largely because we’re now in different Schools.

There are a few of my close friends (the ones you can't do without during essay time) who I miss seeing, but it's all part of progress and change, and I need to understand that as soon as possible.

The past few days have been embossed in induction programme’s; some of which were useful, and the rest useless if you’d pardon my language.

There are still a whole bunch left between now and the end of the week, and I already know which ones I'll be avoiding.

A major stress for me has been shopping for household items it has been quite a dig into my pocket! However, some things demand to be bought, and I love some of the things I bought in the Lanes. I keep consoling myself that it's just a one off thing and won't be happening again throughout the entire year.

One thing I’d like to mention that I disliked about Fresher’s week, was the sass I kept over-

hearing in public. It comes from the usual suspects: the 2nd and 3rd years who wont stop the backtalk about the behaviour of us Freshers. Comments like: ‘Look how immature they are, fresh off A-Levels’ or ‘I can't believe I used to be this silly’.

Yeah, I get it, we're Fresher’s and we make mistakes. Can't you allow us to make them without your sass?

Kufre Medo

Burn baby, burn Dear Badger, In a university like ours, ‘Thatcher’ is dirty word. Less welcome than a vegetarian at a cannibal’s birthday party, our deceased ex-Prime Minister is merely a campus April’s Fools joke. Considering this, I was almost completely unsurprised to read on Tuesday morning that a banner of Thatcher, foolishly displayed upon Arts A for all to see, had been taken down by a group of roguish students and burned.

Glossing over the foolishness of hanging a Thatcher banner on campus at all, it’s interesting how this small act provoked such an extreme reaction.

Now, I’m not a one for advocating violence, and I think it’ll be interesting to see how the University reacts to this, if at all.

Can we expect to see our own VC Michael Farthing staking out Library Square each night, armed with a torch and a packet of Skips? Who knows- with Sussex’s track records of proportionate responses to the actions of our beloved live-in socialism enthusiast spotty at best, maybe we can even expect secret cameras to pop up around campus, watching your every move.

Oh wait, didn’t the management already do that?

Victoria Farley Comment Editor

#SussexFreshers the week in tweets @ZoeClydesdale1D Freshers week was so good #freshers #uni #universityofSussex #sussex #Brighton #Falmer #sogood @Alexzanderzz Fireworks. They were splendid #freshers #sussex @bbtalks Sussex is so coooooooool #sussexuni @thebandCuSO4 Seagulls are evil. Good to be back. #Brighton #SussexUni @USSU A massive thank you to all of our sports clubs, societies, volunteers, staff and campaigns for being so marvellous today #sussexfreshers @DanGreen4114 am half expecting to see the theft of the @unitvlive freshers’ box on crimewatch #sussexfreshers #thebadger @commsUSSU Just arriving as the pier party for #sussexfreshers and I am so excited! @USSU @ThatMiriam Scaring freshers by singing Mulan whilst reigstering them and handing out Library cards #SussexFreshers @h_mclain Auditioning for show choir tomorrow.

Because why not. #sussexfreshers @flreeon Do I shower now or get up earlier tomorrow to do it? The struggle is real @PresidentUSSU Just saved a pigeon. #moatproblems #sussexfreshers @sophiaaa_ox Dunno if I’m more excited for the Welcome Tent Party later or the fact that Hodor from GoT is the DJ #sussexfreshers @FalmerBar Nice shiny new pool table has arrived just in time for #sussexfreshers only 4 days to go!!!! @EducationUSSU Happy to have @FalmerBar back for lunches! Seeing students in there is making me excited for #sussexfreshers

The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not nessesarily represent those of the Student’s Union, unless explicitly stated.

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the badger

29 September 2014

FEATURE • 8

Sussex Archives

Dasha Knyazeva

A Sussex homecoming

Postrgraduate Harry Harrison looks back on his time at Sussex in the 1970s in comparison to today Harry Harrison Returning Sussex Student In 1972, at the age of 23, I arrived at Sussex as a ‘Mature Student’ in the School of English and American Studies, having spent seven years in the printing industry.

Now I’m back to do a Masters, so I guess I qualify as an ‘Extra Mature Student’.

I loved my first time at Sussex as an Undergraduate in the 1970’s.

After those seven years in the print working 8am to 8pm most days, sometimes 8am to 12am the following morning and sometimes 24 hours straight, the experience of living on the campus with it’s park like ambience and many fewer working hours was quite amazing.

The seventies was a time of political activity at Sussex and I took part in at least two long term occupations of Sussex House and other buildings. We protested about rent prices among other things.

Kim Nelson

There was also the threat that the National Front (a far-right, whites-only movement) might be gaining power and we travelled to various venues to oppose them.

Because of my age I was eligible to be insured to drive the Students’ Union mini bus. At one of these protests several of our group were arrested and imprisoned in a Detention Centre. Incidentally, this led to further protests and petitions to get them released. I’m not sure how we had any time left to get our degrees -but most of us did.

After I graduated, the anti Fascist involvement carried on for a couple of years after I moved back to London.

“...I’m not sure how we had any time left to get our degrees but most of us did.”

The actual campus hasn’t changed much at all. There are obviously more buildings, yet they remain in the old Basil Spense style (apart from the Medical School).

Already I have noticed some other changes. In the seventies there was an established ‘Hitching Queue’ across the road from the main entrance where people would stop to give lifts to town. Then, hitch hiking was a ‘normal’ way of getting around.

A girl friend and I used to hitch from Brighton to Barrow in Furness to visit her parents. You don’t see so much of that these days.

The number of bars on campus has changed. The Falmer bar is more or less the same but there was a wall between the main bar and what is now the eating area.

On the other side of the wall was ‘The Crypt’, a vegetarian eatery.

And I’m pretty sure we had no ‘cocktail bar’!

Several bars were run by volunteers in the Park Village kitchens.

One was the Jazz Club and some of the others were music specific.

There was no IDS (Institute of Development Studies) bar then and East Slope had no bar of its own.

East Slope was only just being finished at that time and resembled a building site with people already living in it. As the other houses on campus were named after the other new Universities – Kent, Essex, Norwich, York. ‘East Slope’ it remains and I’ve heard it’s to be demolished and some other sort of residence built there.

I spent my first year in Essex House. I was allocated a room with no trouble as it would have been difficult for me to find somewhere for myself.

In the second year I was ‘lucky’ enough to tear the cartilage in my knee (not a recommended way of getting yourself accommodation, it was very painful) and had to walk with a stick for a while and so was allocated a room in Kent house.

In my third year I spent most of the time crashing on the floor of the kitchen of some friends in East Slope and it certainly lived up to its reputation as ‘the party place’ on campus. I’ve heard that it still does.

Weekly Union General Meetings (UGMs) were a regular feature of campus life but our Students’ Union President, Abraham Baldry, tells me that if the Union tried to do that now, there would be no-one there. UGMs were usually very lively affairs with all the political groups arguing their points about campus and worldly issues.

I have noticed a distinct lack of political paper sellers around campus. However another of the Union officers tells me that’s likely to change as people get settled in and the political groups start recruiting.

“In my third year I spent most of the time crashing on the floor of the kitchen of some friends in East Slope and it certainly lived up to its reputation as ‘the party place’ on campus. I’ve heard it still does.”

other workers. Like many students today, quite a lot of us did have to get some kind of work by the time of our third year, usually bar work or ‘waiting on’ in one of the restaurants.

The other huge difference is of course technology. Then, tutors would even accept hand written essays and dissertations. That being said, most preferred things to be typed using an old fashioned typewriter. When everyone was presenting work for finals it could be hard to get to sleep with the racket of students working through the night to hit a deadline.

I’ll probably notice other changes as time goes on but for the moment I’m very glad to be back at the old place.

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the badger

29 September 2014

Comment • 10

Referendum hope for radical change in the United Kingdom Rory Hughes The Scottish referendum had a turnout of 85%! This was the biggest turnoutfor an election in the UK since the introduction of universal suffrage.

Ever since suffrage was introduced turnout on average has fallen. The 2010 general election only peaking at 65% and EU and local elections at only 34%! There are many arguments to why this apathy has occurred: people aren’t educated, people don’t care, and people are lazy.

All of these arguments have been disproved by the Scottish referendum, although the “Yes” vote may have lost, another much more radical battle hasbeen won.

The referendum showed that the democratic public is in fact very informed,very politically engaged and really do care about the political, social and economic issues that plight our society.

It was perhaps most stark that young people aged 16-20 had such a high turn out. They came out to the ballot boxes in their thousands, in their school uniform exercising their passion for politics. Young people as we all know and

may have experienced are often dismissed as too naïve, too uneducated or too lazy to care.

Equally stark was the level of participation from working class voters many of whom have been disenfranchised for years perhaps had never even voted before.

Yet, Glasgow (Scotland’s major working class hub) had a 75% turnout!

Slightly lower than the average but my God, the whole UK couldn’t even manage 70% in the general election. For me, the reason for this huge change in political participation is clear.

This election offered hope. It offered hope at a better world, hope at the possibility of change. The late Tony Benn once said that change occurs “when the

burning flame of anger, is met with the burning flame of hope”.

For all to long in the UK we have had the burning flame of anger raging whilst the flame of hope flickered in the distance.

The political consensus that has shaped Britain since the 1980s ha created a United Kingdom full of injustice.

One million benefit claimants a year are sanctioned and their benefits stripped from them for misdemeanours such as being late for their appointment at the job centre.

This has lead to millions relying on food banks to eat in the sixth richest country on earth. Meanwhile the largest benefit claimant in the country, The banks, which have received one trillion

Ivy Wong

pounds of taxpayers money since they plunged this country into economic crisis was given with no conditions attached.

The government even took the EU to court to protect banker’s bonuses! twenty-five billion pounds a year is kept from the state and the public through tax avoidance schemes from big business and wealthy individuals.

HMRC actually employs tax company behemoths such as Deloitte to write up our tax legislation. These companies then go and tell their clients how to get around the very laws they just drew up!

It has created a society where four million people languish on social housing waiting lists whilst dealing with an unregulated private rent sector which I am sure we will all get to know very well over the next few years as we move from campus. The taxpayer forks out twenty-four billion pounds every year on housing benefits. Simply lining the pockets of landlords charging rip off rents which due to the huge fall in employment and wages since the economic crisis of 2008 their tenants cannot pay for.

We spend ten billion a year on tax credits topping up poverty wages instead of introducing a living wage.

We spend five billion a year subsidising an inefficient and expensive rail system instead of it being run democratically by the state and our NHS is being privatised and sold off to companies that the Conservative party and its MP’s (including the current secretary for health Jeremy Hunt) receive their donations from.

The Yes campaign (perhaps falsely) offered a break from this consensus. It offered a change that had not been offered for many years and this is what was so radical about it.

This messaged of hope was hindered by the message of fear from the No campaign but the Yes campaign more than doubled its vote in less than a year!

With only nine months left until the general election we must galvanise on this spirit of democracy we must give hope to each other that the world can change and that your vote is powerful.

The choice for radical change in the UK is not being offered immediately but galvanising on this spirit of democracy, fuelling that flame of hope for something better, for something new which was so present in the Scottish referendum is a substantial first step.

Could ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ fix the UK’s economy?

Oliver Sherborne

After administering my injection of the BBC’s hidden political agenda almost hourly, I like to get a little snippet of what would probably be considered celeb trash news as a treat (I use the word ‘news’ very loosely).

As much as I would love to act like I’m a political genius, that would be about as true as saying Russell Brand is.

I like to say that by catching up on pop-culture it makes me a more rounded person, but if I’m being honest with myself, like most diets, my treat can become larger and larger to the point I forgot all about Scottish independence because I was blown away by Nicki Minaj’s latest music video.

Any readers will probably be judging me by now with their friends acting all PC and portentous but think twice. My housemate caught me reading a Daily Mail article on Mick Jagger - it was a shared Facebook link for the record…don’t judge me!

She practically shouted at me ‘turn that s*** off’, so I opened GQ instead (the caviar of celeb trash) whilst she proceeded to turn on Keeping up with the Kardashians. Maybe this level of trash is more acceptable – sound familiar?

All jokes aside, I mock myself as I know it’s easy to get caught up in lighter matters, and that celebs’ lives probably won’t provide much help to pressing matters such as the Ebola outbreak or the latest news of the IS extremists.

But of course most celebrities, just as the rest of us, have a take or an opinion on matters and, for reasons I will give, I believe this is absolutely vital to politics and humanity.

Hate crime and speech is awful, but in my belief we must protect freedom of speech by providing the opportunity for everyone to have a voice,

even celebrities.

I am by no means suggesting that Katie Hopkins should be our next prime minister or in fact that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus, but a vital ingredient to democracy is a voice.

True, not everyone will come out with the most intelligent comments at times, even our bumbling Boris Johnson, but freedom of speech is absolutely vital for the respect of the law.

Freedom of speech, by a celeb or not, helps us pioneer. For example social media, very much a double

edged sword, has given many people a voice, albeit on a screen; the twittersphere provides a voice for many and a consensus of the mass.

Human nature has unfortunately found a place for it as much a weapon as a tool which is sad, but it cannot be ignored that the power of the ‘like’, hashtag and no make up selfie is immense! Stephen Sutton, with a £5 million legacy (and rising) could not be more proof. All provided by a voice.

Kanye West was infamously defamed by Barrack Obama by calling him a ‘jackass’ for jumping on

stage during one of Taylor Swifts performances/moans about another boyfriend (keep shaking it off Taylor, it’s working really well).

Effectively Obama’s aim was to shoot down the new age celebrities, denying them of a voice, and don’t get me wrong The Only Way is Essex existence is beyond me, but I personally disagree with attempting to take away what the European Convention of Human Rights would consider a fundamental right.

I know Mark Wright might not have the answer to our budget deficit, although he must be doing something

right to land Michelle Keegan, but we’ll never know if we close our doors to new ideas from what might appear to be an unlikely person.

After all Sussex University’s late, great ex-Vice Chancellor Richard Attenborough was a movie star!

The point I am trying to make, as a true believer in equality and fairness, we must open our doors to all - you know even if you are ‘really, really, ridiculously good looking’.

Sophie Jones

THE BADGER

29 SEPTEMBER 2014

COMMENT • 11

Vigilantism: Should Batman stay in his cave?

Gender inequality is everyone’s problem

Clive Braime

Ralph Palmer

On the 15th of September, Sussex Police released a video titled “Heroic Brighton Teenager”, displaying an act of vigilantism which prevented a ‘villain’ escaping, putting an end to his wrongdoings.

Sounds glamorous enough, though the unedited CCTV footage of a young man (named Kiya Ingham) tackling an escaping criminal to the ground is slightly more unsettling to watch as the title, or indeed the description of the act would have you believe.

Since the video has over 600,000 views, and that there may be even more aspiring do-gooders out there, this does pose an interesting question: where do we draw the line on vigilantism?

Before we tackle that, we have to ask ourselves, was the act even necessary? Even without the caped crusader, the police would have undoubtedly had no problem chasing the criminal down by car, helicopter or even on foot when the officers had regained their footing.

Even after all that scepticism, we can still consider the positive impact of Kiya’s escapades being made viral on the internet. It would undoubtedly make anyone feel safe, to see that anyone out there can help the long arm of the law when people slip through its fingers. The problem comes from the how the help was packaged.

I’m not trying to bash Kiya, don’t get me wrong, the criminal was shirtless so his options were very limited, it was a tough decision to make with a split second deadline, but would this encourage copycat (or indeed, copybat) behavior?

For example, if someone familiar with this event saw a crime in progress, and took matters in to their hands before the police arrive, you can imagine it’s a scenario that leads to an ambulance, rather than internet fame.

And even if it did work out, surely a peaceful arrest is better than dragging someone to the station battered and bruised. There are other ways to help the police other than by way rugby tackle.

Sure, the nature of Kiya’s situation meant that it was the only real way to make things easier for the police, but that isn’t the case for a great number others.

Perhaps this is where the answer to our question lies, that vigilantism should be limited to simply helping the police on scene, where help is available, rather than attempting to take the more active role that Kiya decided to.

It may seem lazy, to just say ‘let the professionals do their work’, but the opinion comes more from safety concerns. What if the criminal took a swing at Kiya?

What if he had been armed? I could list enough ‘what ifs’ to fill an entire worrier’s edition of The Badger, but all of it is still plausible, as it would be in any other situation an aspiring vigilante sees their chance.

So where do we draw the line on vigilantism? I would argue the point that someone puts themselves in danger. I’d rather see a villain go free than see an article about a hero wounded trying to stop one.

Batman: Google

When people think and talk about gender inequality, it seems to me as it is seen as a one sided problem, that repression is only an issue for women and girls.

Unfortunately, people are mistaken for how vast gender inequality is.

People ignore gender related problems men and boys have because they aren’t seen as significant.

But how do we achieve gender ‘equality’, without men and boys being free too?

How can men and women, boys and girls, not be stereotyped by sex if we continue to ignore the other side of the coin?

I’m a 19 year old male and at many points in my life already, I have been treated differently because I am male.

In school, I was called a wimp because I didn’t want to be in the rugby team.

I was called ‘gay’ because I was shy and found it difficult to talk to girls easily.

I was pressured to try and grow up to be the manly man that I simply did not want to be. I wanted to be a different man. I’ve been lucky enough to grow up to at least be half the man I wanted to be.

But even past school, into the adolescent years, the pressure to ‘man up’, has never been so great.

Still, even in 2014, the pressure of a guy to lose his virginity is huge, the pressure of a guy to be big and muscly is also huge.

Because I’m a man, I have no shoul-

der to cry on when I need it. Because I’m a man, I am supposed to deal with my problems by myself, seeking no help whatsoever.

In my 19 years, I haven’t had the worst upbringing. I come from a very good family, an inspirational family.

But the burden on me to grow up into a man was put on me at a very young age.

At the age of 15/16, my Dad moved abroad to work. I had to be the man of the house and help my mum, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year or so later.

The pressure to be a ‘man’ was monumental, and I didn’t handle it well at all. That doesn’t just happen at that age, it happens no matter what age a guy is, and it shows in the shocking statistic that the biggest killer of men in the UK from 25 to 40 is suicide.

The problem is; when are men going to stand up against inequality too?

When will men and women, boys and girls unite and battle sexual inequality together?

I plead with everyone reading this to unite. A man should be able to be sensitive and affectionate too, just like a woman should be able to be powerful and a leader.

We cannot be seen any more as two sides of a coin, but as Emma Watson has described it, a spectrum.

Only when, we batter down these barriers of inequality and give men and women the freedom to be who they are, will we all be able to fulfil our full potential as people, and when that day comes, the human race will be unstoppable.

philosophy – fundamentally, if not perfectly; lets play some rugby and have some fun at no one else’s expense.

Overall, I believe it provides evidence that sometimes we can use the harsh end of the law for a more harmonious society.

Is celebrating Kick-A-Ginger Day really okay?

Oliver Sherborne

For the record, readers, I’m not some red head hating nut. However Kick-A-Ginger day, only last week by the way, is a real thing.

Sure, you don’t get a day off work for it, but I have to ask, is this okay?

While the answer may seem obvious, I present a dilemma.

Academic lawyers constantly wrestle over acceptable characteristics that may be subject to prejudice within hate crime.

Hate crime broadly speaking involves engaging in criminal activity on the premise of some form of prejudice of a personal characteristic such as race, sexual preference or religion to give you an idea. But how do we feel about including hair colour?

Fundamentally a person born with red hair did not make this decision and should not be persecuted for it either.

Hence, a strong argument could be made for as a matter of policy that criminalising hair related prejudice offences would be right.

It could act as a deterrent to guide us towards a more harmonious society.

Having said all this, there’s a bit part of me that just says that’s just ridiculous.

I’m not suggesting our judges should start giving medals out but bringing hair related prejudice within the sphere of hate crime will also mean the relative sentence can be elongated by between 40-70%. In short, you’ll do more time because you hit the red head and not the blonde.

This dilemma is not too far removed from when a joke is acceptable or not.

Fundamentally, jokes and crimes are different, but at the end of the day, on the face of it, ginger or not, you are still hitting someone even if you label it ‘banter’.

The government has taken their stance and are trying to stamp out lad culture, as is the university.

However, ask yourself, do you subscribe to The Lad Bible’s humour, did you go laugh at the Wolf of Wall Street, and did you find the idea of kick a ginger day mildly humorous in theory if not in reality?

I imagine quite a few are guilty of at least one of these. The fact is we’re buying into this sort of behav-

iour. We almost gave Leo an Oscar for being at heart a bit of b******.

Where’s the line? Do we really want to criminalise banter or bring it within this sphere of hate crime, meaning potentially a 70% rise in sentence for what was meant to be a joke?

All of the above could suggest as humans we can’t help but find a taste for what is probably cruelty, it dates back to the coliseum at its most extreme.

But in the 21st century, we’re better than this. Common sense is at heart tells us you don’t hit someone, and especially not for a joke on the basis of being ginger and therefore I would open the field of hate crime to hair prejudice.

On a more localised level, take our men’s rugby team. If you were not aware, they were disbanded at the end of the 2012/13 academic year from what I gather was on the basis of hooliganism.

Ultimately at the blunt end of the Universities decision, effectively the law, it was the death of men’s Sussex rugby, but in the ashes the Exiles were born: the unofficial rugby team, and, with a whole new

Karen Gillan: Google

THE BADGER

29 SEPTEMBER 2014

TECH • 13

Are smartphones saving students?

Holly Ricketts The smartphone seems to be the essential item for students everywhere, be it at school, college or university level.

The upgrading of these smartphones is what enables us to keep up to date with the latest technology and, for some, the latest fashions.

But are these upgrades really worth it every year or so? Especially for cash strapped, busy students?

Student life is fuelled by technology. We use it every single day to meet our most ‘essential’ needs.

Freshers week was a prime example of the importance of technology in our everyday lives. Facebook enabled me to meet, chat with and start creating friendships with the people in my flat before Freshers week had even begun.

During freshers, mobiles were essential for getting the details of, and staying in contact with future friends, course mates and love interests.

Many freshers will recall using their smartphones as tickets to entry on most social events as well as a chance to keep up with emails from tutors and societies whilst on the go.

So, the question is, with all this fantastic technology on the phones we already possess, where is the

point in upgrading? I was able to complete all the above tasks without even having an iPhone, let alone the latest model.

The launch of the newest iPhone models on 19 September was an interesting insight into how these upgrades will continue to impact students’ lives for now and in the future.

The disadvantages are fairly obvious, especially to cash-strapped students. The buying of a new phone every 6 months contributes unnecessarily to a major, global waste and landfill problem.

Most modern phones contain precious metals and plastics that can be recycled, saving energy and resources that would otherwise have to be mined or manufactured. In landfills, these materials can pollute the air and contaminate soil and drinking water.

With students already having many costs, and limited funds - is a new phone absolutely necessary?

Most of the time, the new facilities and uses are limited, the cost is higher than many of us would pay for food, rent or even alcohol.

Although some upgrades are free, most involve some form of payment, be in an up front payment or on a long term contract.

Apple describes the iPhone 6 as not ‘simply bigger – it’s better in

every way’. The screen is in fact 0.7 of an inch larger and 1.5 inches larger with the iPhone 6 Plus.

Remember your first phone or your parents first phone? How it was often described as a brick, and people would say ‘Who wants to carry a brick around?’ Well apparently, everyone does now.

The newer phones are however, thinner and sleeker. Although in my experience, that just makes them easier to drop.

The best part of the upgrade to iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, seems to be the change to the camera. The camera

focuses more easily and quickly, and works better in low lighting. Whilst not affecting the studies of students, it is perfect for those ‘merry’ photos taken at 3am.

The next step could be the ‘Apple Watch’- a watch that comes with many of the facilities of an iPhone but fits right on your wrist- a step in the right direction when it comes to size (I believe) and accessibility, but possibility a massive distraction for students. Time will tell all about its usefulness. But how long until that becomes outdated too?

Visit us online at www.badgeronline. co.uk/tech to read exclusive online content including weekly videogame reviews and more.

Alex Gr ønmark © LWYang from Flickr

Sussex developed stadium app shortlisted for national award Connor Cochrane Tech Sub-Editor A smartphone app, developed by a University of Sussex academic, that increases internet connectivity in large crowded events has been shortlisted for a national award.

Providing wi-fi for an entire stadium is costly and prone to being overwhelmed by the large crowds but, with the growing prevalence of 3G and 4G, a ‘pocket switched network’ finally made sense.

When you’re at an event, the HiveCore app builds connections directly with other phones that are also using HiveCore.

The app enables communication between fans during a match, so if one person has internet access, the app downloads the relevant information and makes it available to everyone else on the network.

The app gives information on other matches, league tables and stats which can all enhance a fans experience of the big game.

There is also travel information to help navigate the difficulty that

The Albion app for Android

comes with large crowds travelling to and from the stadium.

The Digital Stadium app is a finalist for ‘best football app’ in the 2014 Football Business Awards.

The aim of the awards is to recognise the ‘unsung heroes behind the scenes who help to shape the whole football industry.’

Dr Ian Wakeman, a senior Lecturer in Software Systems at Sussex who founded the project says: “We’re very pleased and excited that all the hard work by everyone involved in the Digital Stadium project has been recognised.”

The app was trialed with Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club last season. This season TribeHive collaborated with other Football League Clubs acros the country, including Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Middlesbrough, QPR and Watford.

The app is available on Android and iOS. It has been downloaded over 10 thousand times on the Google Play Store alone.

Dr Wakeman says that “It’s great to see Sussex research making such a direct impact on people’s lives in the real world.”

Paul Camillin, Head of Media at Brighton and Hove Albion, says: “This ground-breaking technology, along with our stadium wi-fi, has helped thousands of our fans to stay connected during Albion matches and the feedback we have received from them has been extremely positive.”

The University of Sussex, Brighton and Hove Albion and TribeHive are jointly nominated for the award.

They are competing against apps created by Premier League clubs Arsenal and Everton, as well as FIFA, football’s world governing body, and the French football federation.

The winner of the award will be announced at an awards dinner at Chelsea Football Club in London on 6 November.

Download details for both the Android and iOS versions of the app can be found online at www.badgeronline. co.uk/tribehiveaward.

Tech Bytes of the week •

•

•

•

•

NASA announce that SpaceX and Boeing have been selected to transport humans to the ISS from 2017.

Digitial meta-materials make invisibility cloaks more feasable.

Facebook buys Minecraft studio, Mojang, for $2.5 billion Google an Apple respond to hacking with encryption by default.

The British Museum to be recreated in Minecraft.

Have something related to Tech you want to write about? Tech news, opinions or reviews? Email badger-tech@ussu.sussex.ac.uk or come along to one of our weekly writer’s meetings on Fridays at 2pm!

the badger

29 September 2014 ARTS • 14

ARTS

It’s been a long Summer, and one that many of you may not have spent in Brighton. Fortunately for you, the Badger Arts team have been here, and we’ve put together a list of some of the best things you may have missed.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks The Old Market Raymond Jennings Arts Sub-Editor

Slint Brixton Electric

Wednesday 13th August Thomas Powell Arts Editor ‘Thank you for your patience’, utters Brian McMahon from side stage as Slint’s fourth attempt at Spiderland opener ‘Breadcrumb Trail’ finally gets off to its soft mesmeric start of arpeggios and natural harmonics in 7/4.

Rewind five minutes and Slint are running around around the stage panicking like they’re back in Louisville playing their first high school concerts, Brit Walford’s bass drum sound dreadfully high in the mix and Todd Brashear’s bass making the snare rattle, ruining the song’s intro.

This is what I think is remarkable about Slint; their youthful cheekiness and slightly embarrassing inexperience.

As a band who dissolved after a spectacular second album when they were just twenty, they’ve re-

Tuesday 26th August Scott Rogers

Monday 25th August

Have you ever met up with an old friend from school for the first time in a few years? It can be a very strange experience.

I’ve usually found that time hasn’t been kind to my friends – some have gotten a bit too fat, none have ended up pursuing their childhood dreams, and quite a few of them are almost completely bald despite still being on the good side of 25.

But despite their physical differences, and despite the several years long lapse in our communications, whenever we meet up it’s like neither of us have really changed at all.

Seeing Stephen Malkmus play with the Jicks is a similar experience.

Whether or not you were around for the glory days of Pavement (I certainly wasn’t), and whether or not you managed to catch them on the semi-legendary reunion tour, chances are you’re only interested in Malkmus for his former band.

It’s hard to blame you; the Jicks are nothing special, and Malkmus himself would be the first to tell you that.

The Black Lips Concorde 2

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks Press

They’re far from a bad band; a lot of their tunes are undeniably catchy and they’re clearly a group of remarkably talented musicians.

But they’re not Pavement.

The funny thing is, they don’t need to be.

Seeing the Jicks is an exercise in pure nostalgia, even though they’ll never play a single Pavement song and even though you probably don’t know or love half of the new songs that make up their set.

There’s just something about the band that is so inherently familiar, so deeply comforting, that watching them

turned two decades later at forty.

Admittedly, they’re more proficient on their instruments, but they seem to have retain the same high school rock jitters of two decades ago.

The band’s lighthearted but professional approach to their self professed ‘high school jams’ makes a pleasant surprise when you consider the spooky, southern gothic sound of Spiderland; an album that haunts you on a solo listen becomes a head bob en masse (partly because there’s hardly any vocals for you to sing) that smacks of collective pleasure more than insular fear when played live.

Picking apart the set is most interesting as you search for the band’s centrepiece.

Fronted jointly by McMahon and Walford, who share the vocals throughout many of the songs, it’s difficult to know who the leader is.

With no primadonna rock singer at centre stage, both vocalists hide to the wings, Walford on drums and McMahon tight-shouldered and edgy, more compère than frontman.

However it works for them, because Slint’s real beauty is in the sonic levels they omit as a whole; the vocals, guitars and drums deli-

play songs completely new to you still feels like a long chat with an old friend.

This can probably be put down to Malkmus’ stage persona; quietly confident, charmingly funny, and a bit too obviously a dad.

The bad puns and awkward crowd interactions come thick and fast in a Jicks show, as do the slightly gratuitous guitar solos and extended jams.

The group are nothing if not comfortable with themselves – it’s hard to tell whether or not they even care anymore, so loose and relaxed is their playing.

They would be as at home jamming in a garage on a Sunday afternoon as they

are on stage at The Old Market.

What seems like an obvious flaw, however, works to the band’s advantage; their sloppy takes on both 90s alt rock and 70s dad rock make up a very fun show, if not a particularly original one.

It’s obvious that this isn’t an up and coming band trying to keep the hype going, nor is it a classic band raking in the cash from a greatest hits world tour.

The Jicks are a band of friends playing music for the fun of it, and it doesn’t matter if you like their music or not. They’re enjoying it, and that enjoyment is deeply infectious.

Slint Press

cately interwoven ebb and flow between placid but broody post-rock and visceral post-hardcore that’s intricately melodic even at its loudest.

In fact, until beatless ‘Don Aman’ when Walford sits down to delicately harmonise guitars with Pajo there is nothing to look at in the centre of the stage.

However, it’s here that we continually focus our attention, the band’s energy manifesting itself without

needing a showman or performer.

At times we just shut our eyes and let Slint’s exceptionally emotional instrumentation wash over us.

Leaving the venue I thought that maybe all bands should give themselves twenty years to hone their live performances, such was the quality of this one: We had to be patient, Slint, but thanks for returning.

It’s hard not to get excited about a Black Lips show – whatever you may have thought about their recent album, Underneath the Rainbow, which showcased the band’s more experimental, cautious side, they’ve always been known as one of the most energetic and intense live acts on the international touring circuit.

I had hoped that they would carry the intensity with which they are so renowned, and which is clearly present on earlier albums such as their self-titled debut and the now classic Let It Bloom, into their performances of the newer material.

I was sadly disappointed.

Concorde 2 seemed the perfect venue for a manic, chaotic live performance; you couldn’t help but dream of stage invasions, crowd surfers, and semi-ironic mosh pits when queueing for the show, yet little of this actually occurred.

The slower, bluesy, and sometimes even disco inspired sounds of their newer songs were clearly not received well by the audience, and often felt like stop-gaps between fan favourites such as ‘Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah!’.

When the band dipped into their earlier material, the show finally felt like it had started – the crowd’s energy grew with that of the show, yet sadly it too dipped whenever the band returned to playing new material.

It’s easy to see why they’ve garnered such a fearsome reputation in the live arena when they play their older, more aggressive garage rock hits.

Few bands can bring the same kind of intensity and swagger to their performances as Black Lips can when blazing through their back catalogue.

Sadly, the hits don’t come round often enough, and the set material consists mostly of the band’s recent two albums.

I’d recommend seeing Black Lips to any fan of their newer material; you’ll enjoy the tunes no less than you might when listening to the album, and you’ll be surprised by the intensity of their earlier material.

Older fans hoping for the same kind of manic, aggressive shows you may have been to before, however, should beware: Black Lips are not the band they once were, for better or worse, and you can’t expect them to play through their hits and largely ignore new material.

At least not until they break up and inevitably return with a reunion tour, that is.

the badger

29 september 2014 ARTS • 15

Reviews

film

Magic in the Moonlight Odeon, Brighton

Victoria Rodrigues O’Donnell Arts Editor

Near Gone Press

Speedy Ortiz Press

music

Speedy Ortiz + Happyness The Prince Albert

Thursday 14th August Tom Wells If wearing a cable knit sweater and black jeans on a midsummer’s night is half of a bad idea, then entering the fray at the tiny sweatbox upstairs at The Prince Albert completes it.

Honestly, what was I thinking?

Add to this buying two pints to avoid having to squeeze to the bar through a busy crowd and you start to think you’re onto a total loss.

Confronted at this point by fresh faced new Rough Trade signees Happyness I thought I was ready to wilt away into the pint of an unassuming punter through the floorboards and into the bar below.

It’s not that Happyness are a bad band, their sound was far from un-

music

Juan Wauters Bleach

Friday 12th September Tom Foster

Bryan Parker

pleasant, it’s just that watching their set was like seeing better live bands play interesting B-Sides, not least when you’re feverishly hot.

Citing Pavement, Slowdive and The Brian Jonestown Massacre however I wasn’t complaining about their field of influences.

By the time Happyness finished I’d sipped away my pints, leaving me with a free hand: enough to remove my sweater and get some air to my back, which was delightful because it meant I could stop myself from writing this review like a total brat.

Speedy Ortiz too were a delight, mainly because they have their sound pretty much pinned.

For every minute that Happyness sounded like a jumble of influences, Speedy Ortiz made up for it with their consistently 90s garage/slacker/grunge showcase.

This is not to say that they aren’t inherently derivative (let’s face it who isn’t in guitar music these days?) but it’s not so noticeable when they aren’t simply reproducing the style of a different band with each new offering.

Juan Wauters new solo album North American Poetry is still reminiscent of his previous band The Beets but adopts a more indie-folk easy listening sound.

Whilst Wauters does not offer the melancholic or sorrowful lyrics typical of other popular folk artists right now such as Bon Iver or James Vincent McMorrow, his on stage charisma more than made up for this.

Setting up the stage with the American flag and other rustic banners created an Americana aesthetic.

Juan Wauters performance also benefitted from an accompanying bodhrán drum and flute whilst he shouted to the crowd ‘oh yeah!’ after each song creating an energetic rapport.

His song ‘Escucho Mucho’ as well as ‘Water’ were my favourites of the setlist and I would recommend listening to them if you have not heard of Juan Wauters before to get the vibe of his album.

You want something easy to listen to and a sound that reminds you of the summer that is fast slipping away then Juan Wauters is your man.

From belt and braces drop-D Catthrough riffed opener ‘Tiger Tank’ personal favourite ‘Casper (1995)’ to catchy new single ‘Bigger Party’, Sadie Dupuis and her band thrashed and drawled their way through the cream of last year’s Major Arcana and a whole raft of new material.

These new tunes continue to display the little glimmers promise that got me so excited about them a year ago.

My only real reservation is that the emergence of this heavier new material signalled a farewell to their more sombre, slower-paced work such as ‘No Below’, the one last song that fans cheered for as the set closed.

Sadly, they and I were left with their love unrequited, much like Dupuis’ lead in the song’s narrative.

It was in this shortcoming alone that it dawned on me how hot I’d got again.

This time however I was blushing.

I’d silently developed a teen crush on the song they’d never play me.

It was a shame that his sound was subsequent to Van Stonholdt whose experimental sound was on the opposite end of easy listening.

Van has not yet found a way to create a stage presence and seemed more perplexed by his music than we were; technical difficulties also contributed to this confused performance.

Luckily my mate grabbed me before I left Bleach for home confused at why Juan Wauters sounded nothing like he did on his album.

As you might have gathered I was very confused by the performance.

Despite the mistake of putting these two artists next to each other on the bill which broke the continuity that ran between the other artists, it was still a good gig.

Bleach is sure to be the most upcoming music venue in Brighton with a good space and sound system in a very studenty area.

Whilst its popularity is still yet to be founded (as you could notice from the rather diminished crowd) it is growing but just don’t expect to get a cheap drink there.

Sony Pictures Classics If you ignore the controversy surrounding Woody Allen over the last few years, not to mention across his entire career, this latest film could be viewed as a somewhat light-hearted affair set in the South of France.

However, it’s not long after the film starts when your mind wanders onto accusations Allen has received and you begin looking for features in his script which could reveal some dark truths.

Once you’ve overlooked this (if you can or want to), the film turns out to be a rather amusing little foray into magic, mystery and faith.

Set in the late 1920s around the French Riviera, the film focuses on a magician’s quest to expose a con-artist. Colin Firth plays Stanley Crawford, a no-nonsense performer who goes by the name of Wei Ling Soo by night and spends almost the entire film irritatingly repeating himself plus emphatically raving about how much he loves his Aunt Vanessa (Eileen Atkins).

Whilst charming as this witty and bumbly English stereotype, Firth is evidently not stretched quite far enough and for an actor within an Allen film, feels too often tied down to the script.

Emma Stone on the other hand, flourishes in her role as the ethereal and good-natured American, Sophie Baker. Stone’s auburn locks are frequently lit from behind, helping to create a halo of sun rays and stressing her other-worldliness.

Stone’s wide-eyed and mischievous performance adds massively to the film’s saccharine appeal.

Supporting performances by Ham-

ish Linklater (as Brice Catledge, the heir to a wealthy American dynasty) and Simon McBurney (playing Stanley’s magician friend Howard Burkan) provide some light relief from the witty to-and-fro between Sophie and Stanley.

Linklater is especially adorable as he takes a detour from Mumblecore and art house cinema, yet his character is barely formed and becomes nothing more than a two-dimensional feature.

Whilst the storytelling unravels predictably and the characters’ dialogue feels strained, the one aspect to truly stand out from this film is the scenery.

Recognition should be made of the costume and production design in line with the beautiful Côte d’Azur setting.

Comparable to Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, there are many scenes where the dresses and general attention to detail are outstanding – particularly at a party hosted by the Catledges, in which even Aunt Vanessa leaves at dawn.

All in all, I was very grateful to have seen this film as a preview.

The audience spared a few laughs here and there, but there was an overwhelming sense of disappointment in comparison to Allen’s previous films Blue Jasmine and Midnight in Paris (which also had many scenes set in the 1920s).

Perhaps a bit too whimsical for its own good, this is an Allen film you’re bound to forget.

THE BADGER

29 SEPTEMBER 2014

ARTS • 16

LIFESTYLE

Go for it! The Importance of Saying Yes Daisy Tompkins Until a few months ago the cliché “just say yes” was one I considered overused and simplistic.

The use of the word “just”, suggests there are amazing opportunities being thrown in my face which I am missing out on.

Last time I checked, no one was offering me free sky dives.

What is it that I am supposed to be saying yes to?

What if it’s appropriate to say no? I don’t even want to do a skydive thanks.

Whilst we’re on the subject, don’t tell me what to do.

I’m curmudgeonly. Then the final, most poignant issue- the people who say this phrase.

It is rarely your mother or a lecturer.

It is usually people I label as “happy clappy”, people who listen to Taylor Swift 24/7 and who constantly use the word “awesome” in a non-ironic fashion.

So I think it is fair to say that the cliché “just say yes” personified everything I disliked.

That was however, until I spent a week doing absolutely nothing fun.

Eat. Sleep. Rave. Repeat.

But instead of “Rave” insert “Work”.

All the plans I had made for the week I had cancelled because I felt “a bit tired” and to be honest, I just couldn’t be bothered.

The thing was, I didn’t even have a lot of work to do.

I realised I will likely get busier as the years progress and that I could slip into a habit of dreary repetition.

In the following weeks I decided to embrace the cliché.

I started forcing myself to go to all of the things I was invited to.

To my surprise some great things happened: Firstly, I saw Godzilla in 3D with boys.

If you’ve never watched an action movie with men, you have not lived.

My most mature guy friends turned into giggling school children.

Then, I went to a party I probably wasn’t actually invited to.

This was pushing the cliché to a new level!

During my university years, I have found that sometimes invitations can be those flippant “I was talking to you about something and now it’s awkward if I don’t invite you” type of invites.

I never usually go these. I like to be officially invited, I like to know people care if I tick the “attending” box on Facebook.

Invitation pride. So this time I went anyway, I spent my whole night talking to new people and I made a friend.

I also went to someone’s house when I knew I could only be there for an hour.

You can always fit in a coffee no matter how busy you are.

I still said no when I needed to.

When I had a presentation, when I felt unwell, when I actually didn’t want to go for a reason I considered valid.

The main thing I discovered was that you can do a lot more thank you think when you are tired, and you can still wake up the next day as fresh as you would have done otherwise.

So, I actually don’t challenge you to start “saying yes”, I challenge you to start being bothered to make the most of your time.

Northern Lights

Amber Roberts

Molly French Gerrard We used to go south for images of escape and otherness - olive groves, tapas bars, sandy CarmelH beaches.

But now, we are in thrall to all things Nordic, whether it is flat pack furniture, Scandinavian crime dramas, minimalist interiors, rye breads and cinnamon buns.

And it’s not only London that is filled with cafes and restaurants serving pickled fish and beetroot salads; Brighton has its own Scandi haven in the heart of town with Northern Lights.

We’re young, we’re not tired.

Price: 3.5/5

Village Roadshow Pictures

Brussels in a night: Delirium Café

Ralph Palmer

Arriving in Brussels, the first city on our travels, the first though that came into our heads was: “where can we get a beer?”.

And Delirium Café certainly provided the answer. Selling a world record of over 3000 beers, in one bar, stretched over 3 floors with an average of a thousand beers per floor, we had found heaven.

And heaven is where we stayed for the majority of our two days in the Belgian capital.

We spent most of our time in the quaint, lively underground bar, which was packed with locals, far away from the cringey British ‘lads on tour’ experience.

The drinks were served in quirky glasses, scientific beakers, flasks, shoes, and horns, and more importantly, most of the beers were amazing.

I say ‘majority’ because out of 3000 beers, there were some more weird than wonderful.

Pub of the week

Delirium Press

“highly recommend it to any beer lovers out there.”

Cookie Beer has particularly stuck in my mind as being a bad combination.

We further avoided the Chocolate, Banana and Coffee beers available too...

If Delirium provided with some of the worst beers we’ve ever had in our life, it also gave us some of the best too.

Their own brewed beer, Delirium Tremens, 9% was the standout winner, which gave you a royal hangover the next morning, but totally worth it.

And then was the strongest, Bush Amber, 12%, an absolute killer, and possibly responsible for my friend managing to lose his entire bag on the train to Amsterdam containing all his clothes.

The bar was most certainly the best part of Brussels (yes, even better than the waffles!), and definitely worth a trip back for and I would highly recommend it to any beer lovers out there.

Northern Lights is not a place to go for a cheap drink - but for Brighton, and in fact for Scandinavia, it’s not bad.

Their gin in a tin (a favourite with the regulars) will cost you £4. But it doesn’t stop there: they have obscure Swedish vodkas, Finnish and Danish beers and organic wines.

Atmosphere: 3/5 It was set up by a group of homesick Scandinavians and on stepping through the doorway it’s as if you’ve come in from a bleak landscape to a Nordic cabin - maybe it is the wood panelling, the skis on the wall or the frosted windows that gives it its rustic charm.

And visiting got me thinking - perhaps Brighton’s alternative reputation and Scandinavia’s quirkiness makes them the perfect match.

So whether you’re a homesick Swede or you just want to see what the Nordic craze is all about, it’s definitely worth a visit!

the badger

29 september 2014 ARTS • 17

Showcase

Shima Jalal Kamali Rebecca Ayers

Courtney Lovejoy

Fah’d Kahled

Next weeks theme is Time.

Send your creative pursuits to jh488@sussex.ac.uk by Tuesday 30th September Check the Badger website for more themed submissions

Lauren Cole Cosmo Joseph Element

Alice Nettleship Hannah Rose

Shaw

Fah’d Khalid

Cosmo Joseph Element Cosmo Joseph Element

the badger

29 September 2014 Arts •19

Arts

Editor’s Picks

Arts Editor Victoria Rodrigues O’Donnell shares her tips on the week ahead in culture ART

Beyond the Mantelpiece

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

Brighton Museum, Willett Gallery Until May 2015 FREE The Museum Mentors Group, made up of members with critical social needs, have curated this year long film andMutation display examinX - William Latham ing ceramic objects in relation to charity.

Fuck Buttons

Brighton Dome

GIGS FKA Twigs Brighton Dome Thursday 2nd October, 7:30pm SOLD OUT Mercury Prize nominee FKA Twigs descends onto Brighton Dome with her unique blend of experimental vocals and arresting stage prescence. Be very jealous of anyone you know who’s managed to get a ticket!

GIGs Sylvan Esso The Green Door Store Tuesday 30th September, 7pm £7 North Carolina-based electronica duo Sylvan Esso carry on their increasing success following the release of their debut album and a supporting slot on tour with tUnEyArDs. Catchy electro pop you’d be sure to dance to.

The Green Door Store

craft Zine Club #01 The Hope Thursday 2nd October, 8:30pm -11pm FREE This brand new initiative first takes place at The Hope this Thursday.

With the hope (ha ha) of looking for those who are interested in arts, crafts, drawing, writing and generally making anything creative, this night will be perfect for those who seek an alternative to clubbing or buying too many drinks in their local pub.

Duke’s at Komedia

Brighton Museum

UNION EVENT

Big Night In:Bike Cinema w/ Electric Pedals Mandela Hall Tuesday 30th September, 1pm - 10pm FREE A huge selection of films will be screened over the course of the day and will all be powered by electric cycles. Turn up in your most hideous pyjamas or onesies, teddy bear in tow and be prepared to marvel at the wonders of human effort and engineering.

Warning: 8 people are required to power the cinema at any one time so make sure you’re not lucky enough to be chosen! Unless you want to that is...

Film Soul Boys of the Western World w/ live satellite Q&A Duke’s at Komedia Tuesday 30th September, 8pm £5.50 Watch the European premiere of this documentary focusing on the New Romantic band, Spandau Ballet. It might not be your cup of tea, but no one can deny the joy of singing along to Gold.

Lucasfilm/The Coppola Company

FILM Stephen Fry Live: More Fool Me Duke of York’s Picturehouse Wednesday 1st October, 7:15pm £11 Marking the publication of his latest volume of memoirs, this one-off performance sees Stephen Fry being broadcast to Duke of York’s and recounting his experiences of the late 80s.

Film Sussex Film Appreciation Society: American Graffiti ARTS A Monday 29th September, 6:30pm FREE The society’s first season begins with a look at leaving home and coming of age. Commencing with George Lucas’ (yes of Star Wars fame) sophomore film, American Graffiti.

watch, write, review

Lucky enough for Sussex students, the Zine Society is also brand new and will be attending with copies of their Freshers Zine - make sure you grab a copy if you can!

A monthly event, this is the perfect reason to get hands on with something completely unrelated to your degree without much commitment.

Enjoy a night full of cutting and pasting in response to the selected theme, which will firstly be Monster.

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

Badger Writers

THE The Hope

BADGER

the badger

29 September 2014

SporTS • 20

SPORTS Back To The Future - Sussex Volleyball

Highly accolated women side, up-and-rising men counterpart? Glorious wins and comebacks, newsworthy cup winners and medals-having beach starlets?

All of that is on offer, but the rest is even more tempting

Vladko Grozev Sports Sub-Editor The Women’s Volleyball team held their tryouts this week, following a fairytale season where they finished second in Division 1, came 6th in Volleyball England’s Student Cup and embarked on a long journey for their decisive playoff game.

After convincingly beating Surrey three-nil in the first playoff, the season rested on the match in Swansea.

Sussex had a depleted team and the hosts took the first two sets, but the momentum of the match was shifting. Women silenced the home crowd by winning a close third set 23-25, then won the fourth comfortably and pressed

their advantage to win a nail biting fifth set decider 12-15.

Those heroics made Women’s Volleyball now a “Focus Sport” at Sussex University and Coach James Clow had high hopes of finding players to replace some of the superstars that left last year.

Around 25 players turned up to each tryout, which was fantastic.

The decision to relay a new floor in the sports hall and install two courts instantly paid off as being able to separate the novice/social players from the squad contenders proved crucial.

It quickly became clear that it is going to be another great season, both socially and competitively, with new players from all over the

world.

Sussex University always seems to attract strong volleyball players, with likely Sports Bursary candidates from Venezuela, Slovenia and Hong Kong.

Training has already begun to prepare the squad for the daunting task of competing in the BUCS Premier League, up against teams like Oxford, Cambridge and their nemesis Kings College London.

They have the majority of last year’s squad including their Captain (Anja Berglund) and Vice Captain/Setter (Barbara Franca), plus a wealth of new talent for this year and years to come.

It looks like a promising season, with players relishing the opportunity to represent the University at the highest level. Hopefully they will repeat their giant killing antics from last season and take a few scalps along the way.

Their first home match is on Wednesday 29th October against Cambridge at the Sports Centre, so come along and support your team.

Immediately after their women counterpart, the Men’s Volleyball team offered two taster/ tryout sessions to add to their frontline of sport soldiers some shining new stars. More than necessary after a long, drawnout season saw the Men marching to a respectable second-place

finish in Division 2A South East, tryouts did not fail to deliver as an upwards of 25 able players wanted to join the experienced squad.

The organization would not fail to impress them whatsoever, and they will quickly work their way through the ranks to grant coach James Clow and captain Turbo Cheung a capable core for the future.

Already shaping as an amazing future for Men’s Volleyball, which includes meetings with University of Chichester, to whom Men split the series 1-1 last year.

Men’s Volleyball kick off their campaign with a home game against University of Roehampton on Wednesday 15th October to renew their

The Club

Elected in 2012-2013 as Club of the Year, Sussex Volleyball has never failed to deliver. Apart from hardwood prowess, players engage in charity events, such as Football vs Homophobia or the very own Beach Volleyball Tournament. The organization runs beginner sessions as part of Active US on Monday from 3PM and puts a team annually in beach tournaments nationwide with enormous success. Social events are organized on Wednesday evenings, where friends are made for life, so be a part and enjoy the maginificent experience, called Sussex Volleyball.

CONTACT BADGER SPORT If you or your club would like to write for us then please get in touch via the email below.

Match reports, upcoming events and candidates for future player profiles are all encouraged. badger- sports@ussu.sussex. ac.uk Or find us on Facebook at ‘Badger Writers’ Weekly meetings are also held for writers (and photographers) every week on Fridays at 2pm in The Badger office (above Falmer House common room.

We look forward to meeting you!

THE

BADGER

Mohawks: Continuing The Trend For Success Joseph Cummins Whenever you see a white disc hurled across campus you can bet there is someone not far behind trying to catch it. Its a common sight at Sussex and that is due to the humongous, and growing, popularity of the Sussex Ultimate frisbee society; the Mohawks.

The Mohawks collectively are one of the largest societies at Sussex and among the most inclusive of all the sporting teams. They have enjoyed huge success over the 25 years since they were established and the main impetus behind this is the wholly enveloping nature of the club and of Ultimate frisbee itself. It’s a sport accessible to all and that means its popularity has grown exponentially. This year is no exception; the first few weeks of the Autumn term have seen an influx of people raring to delve into the world of Sussex Ultimate.

The forthcoming year will be taken as an opportunity to build on the extensive achievements enjoyed over the past twelve months. Whilst always mainting the relaxed nature of the sport, the Mo-

hawks have never shied away from the nitty gritty required when playing at a high level. The final of the outdoor national competition, the pinnacle of the Open division, saw the first team falter to a devastating University of Cambridge offense to finish second across the nation. It is a testament to just how high the level of Ultimate is at Sussex University.

Never undermining the premier team, but Mohawks measure success by the wide spread with which they compete. The third team, for instance, outplaced every other second team at both indoor and outdoor regional competitions, as well as quite a few of the first teams.

The club has always been regarded as perhaps the most consistent University frisbee organizations nationwide and in recent years no other has come close in terms of the depth the Mohawks possess. The huge participation from freshers, being seen in these initial few weeks, is a necessity in continuing this trend.

The prowess of the Mohawks has not simply been limited to the Open divi-

sion either; the Women’s and Mixed teams have also enjoyed hugely successful campaigns. The Mixed team finished well within the top ten in both indoor and outdoor national competitions and the expansive nature of the clubs’ success saw the Women’s team finish fifth in the outdoor competition.

This year saw somewhat of a change of the guard for the Mohawks, with number of players, established over the past three years, moving on from the University.

But the void has been filled with a hugely talented cohort, most of which are moving into their third year playing together.

The opportunity for new participants is huge with the current crop of players all hugely enthusiastic and willing to share their experience and knowledge of the sport, ready to welcome new talents into the fold. As well as the many years of experience of those already established at the club, the Mohawks have also secured the continued services of the GB under-23 Mixed division coaches, Megan Hurst and Felix Shardlow.

The start of the term also marks the start of the Indoor frisbee season and beginning of opportunities for new players to play Ultimate, understanding the dynamic of their new team mates.

A number of ‘beginner’ tournaments are held initially for just this purpose.

The first of them takes place on the 11th to the 12th of October and the second a week later so there are plenty of early opportunities for those who want to pursue the sport.

The Mohawks are traditionally highly competitive in these because of the

allure Ultimate at Sussex holds over freshers and the passion instilled in them by those already at the club.

On top of offering the sporting set up to cater to the most athletic and competitive individual, the club gives huge importance to the social aspects of a close-knit sporting society. Informal get-togethers, although far away from taxing physical exertion, are regular and, not unlike training, welcoming to all.

Ultimate frisbee, especially at Sussex, is unique amongst high level sports as one that can offer something to all skill levels. To train with the Mohawks requires no previous experience or knowledge of the game.

Of course if you have loved the sport for many years already you are more than welcome. Training takes place every Wednesday and Friday and all are welcome to attend. The Autumn term is all about welcoming newcomers to the sport and integrating them to the club.

With the bar set so high. it would be tough to recreate such success. However, with 200 people signed up already, the optimism is not unfounded.

the badger

29th september 2014

SOCIETIES SPOTLIGHT On this page you can find out about what our societies have been up to and what their plans are for the coming weeks! You can view and join all of our 150+ societies online at www.sussexstudent.com/societies. If any societies would like to feature on this page, please submit your articles to societies@sussexstudent.com by 12pm on Wednesdays.

ShowChoir

2014 was a very busy year for Sussex Show Choir. We were crowned national champions at the Masters of Show Choir competition, given the accolade of Most Improved Society at the Sussex Student Awards and were rewarded with an Enterprising Student Society Accreditation by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

We’re now ready to begin our 5th year as a thriving society. We perform a wide variety of songs including rock, pop, show tunes and jazz. Over the past couple of years we have performed gigs in a

range of venues, including those on campus, the AMEX stadium and various Brighton theatres including the Brighton Dome.

As well as performing as part of a group, our gigs give members the opportunity to showcase their individual musical talents through solos or playing instruments. We also hold regular, varied socials, making Show Choir a friendly, fun and vibrant society to be a part of. This year will be our biggest and best yet and we would love for you to be part of it. Come and find us to find out about our friendly and relaxed open rehearsals. No singing experience necessary!

DOCTOR WHO

Here at the Doctor Who Society, we watch and discuss the world of The Doctor, primarily focusing on the most recent series but with some classic stuff as well! In the past we have organised various trips, screenings and quizzes and we plan on continuing this next

year! Come find us on Facebook at facebook.com/sussexdocsoc or come to our meetings! Remember to bring your fezzes, Stetsons, jammie dodgers and sonic screwdrivers!

Palestine

Sussex Friends of Palestine society puts on talks, film screenings and other events to educate people about Palestine and the apartheid regime Israel imposes on the Palestinians. We do this throughout the year but especially during Palestine Awareness Week and Israeli Apartheid Week, and we hope to turn our solidarity with the Palestinians into effective action through BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) campaigns. The society has been campaigning for the University to end its contract with Veolia because of the company’s work in illegal Israeli settlements and hopes to work with the Student’s Union this year for the University to grant scholar-

ships to Palestinian students from Gaza, as well as starting work on new BDS campaigns around the University’s investments. For more info join our Facebook group: Sussex Friends of Palestine Society.

READ BETWEEN THE WINES

Hello, we are Read Between the Wines, a book society that meets in the quirky dwellings of Brighton to read and discuss a diverse range of authors! We work with the charity called The Book Bus Foundation, which supplies a range of literary devices in Africa, Asia and South America. Previous fundraising includes hosting a murder mystery night, games night, bake sales and pub quizzes!

The main aim of our society is to bring people together who share a love of reading, whether it is anything from classics to modern, we try incorporating a bit of fun into the process! We usually read

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one book every three weeks and hold a meeting in a different part of Brighton and the weeks in between we either hold a social in different clubs or a fundraiser!

LIB DEMS The SU Lib Dem Society is open to all, Lib-Demmers and non LibDemmers alike! The SU Lib Dems run both informal and formal meet-ups so that people can both get to know each other, have a chat and discuss Lib Dem politics and policies in more detail. We have strong links with the both the Brighton & Hove and Lewes Liberal Democrat local parties so there are loads of opportunities for joining in with local Lib Dem politics. Incidentally, the MP for Lewes is the Lib Dem Home Office Minister Norman Baker! Our socials are every Thursday, at 7pm at Falmer Bar. Look on Facebook ‘Sussex University Liberal Democrat Society’ page for more info!

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!

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.

UniTV have provided excellent coverage of the Freshers fair and all the freshers events, so don’t forget to check that out and relive the experience!

We look forward to seeing and hearing from you in the future!

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.

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,

BADGER WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS MEETINGS Friday’s 2-3 in The Badger office.

Anyone welcome. All ideas welcome. Biscuits welcome.

This is your chance to come along each week, meet with the editors and get working with The Badger. You do not have to contribute every week. You do not have to be a professional writer.

the badger

29 September 2014 Arts •24

Arts

Listings: UniTV and URF

Monday 29th

Tuesday 30th

Scumbag College

The Nick Stewart Show-

Hosted by Lottie Brazier

Hosted by Nick Stewart

11am-12pm

Wednesday 1st

Afternoon with Charles and James 12-1pm

Hosted by Charlie Wall

Friday 3rd

11am-12pm

Afternoon Alternative 12-1pm

SUDS Soapbox

An

Thursday 2nd

Retrofit

Hosted by Francesca Powell

12-2pm

Hosted by Holly Hagan-Walker

The URF Review Show

7-8pm

Hosted by Adam Whitmore

11am-1pm

Little Al’s Big Show

Hosted by John McKenna-Hughes

2-3pm

Hosted by Alice Finney

Paige with Guests 1-2pm

Hosted by Paige Smith

Live it Live with Jonny Meah 2-3pm

Hosted by Jonny Meah

The Nick Werren Radioshow 6-7pm

Hosted by Nick Werren

The B/C Sandwich 7-8pm

Hosted by Benji Kushi

Everyday Desert Island Discs 3-4pm

The Magical Music Tour

Tangled Roots

4-5pm

8-9pm

Hosted by James Blay

Hosted by Elana Crowley

Tropical Hot Dog Night

The World Show

Earlier with Ellie Holland

7-8pm

5-6pm

Hosted by Callum Sellins

Hosted by Thomas Powell and Raymond Jennings

Anorak Ashtray

2-3pm

Hosted by Ellie Holland

6-7pm

Hosted by Joseph Oliver

The Everything Hour

Alphabet Soup

7-8pm

8-9pm

Hosted by Lewis Cockle

Hosted by Julian Paszkiewicz

Hosted by Beau O’Shea

Gardeners’ Hour

The Green Frog Show

Hosted by Sam Hislop

Hosted by Matthew Locke Cooper

8-9pm

6-7pm

Discocks

Hosted by Thomas Houlton

Cult of the Black Pudding

9-10pm

2-3pm

Hosted by Sian Williams

Hosted by Alex Mason

Going Nowhere Slow 8-9pm

Sian’s Pic N Mix

6-7pm

Hosted by Harry Reddick

The Late Show with Tiago 8-9pm

Hosted by Tiago Franco

Check this page next week for more detailed listings and make sure you listen and get involved at: www.urfonline.com

This Week on UniTV: Check out our Freshers Coverage which is online and ready for you to watch right now!

If you missed our live show last week then check the site to watch on catch-up.

Make sure you have a look at our website at www.unitvlive.com (or search for us on Facebook!) for more details about how to meet, watch, write, pitch, produce, film, act and get involved with all things UniTV!