Eva and I are so excited to be the next Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the next academic year. A really big thank you to Hannah and Arianna who did some really fantastic work in the past year. We have some big shoes to fill.
The theme for this issue is ‘Petrichor’, I thought it was a nice introduction to the new academic year and relates nicely to the idea of experiencing something new.
Without further ado, our amazing writing team has brought you some fantastic work that the design team has complimented nicely with their hard work.
Molly Wilson & Eva Milne
Creative Directors
Hi Everyone!
Hope you all had a great summer! We're so excited to be back and to release the first issue of the year with the new design we've been working on over summer.
We're also super excited to have Molly and Eva on board as our new Editor-in-Chief and Deputy Editor-in-Chief! And thrilled to be working with our new and returning writers, editors, and designers! Everyone has worked so hard on this issue and we're so excited for you to read it. So sit back, enjoy, and have a great semester!
Ayla Ahmed & Heidi Le
feature culture creative what’s inside?
How Rain Enhances the World of Video Games
Words: Mollie Hall
Nothing can compare to a cold, rainy night. The window open, allowing the smell of the rain to dance together with the scent of a freshly lit candle. The city lights becoming increasingly blurred as the rain streams down my window, eventually slowing down and forming gorgeous droplets. I am someone who loves the rain, to me there is absolutely nothing better than a rainy night inside my cosy bedroom, candle lit, fresh cup of tea in hand and the delightful sound of my Xbox powering up. I love it even more when I open up my game and I am met with the same sound of rain echoing out the speakers.
Video games are, honestly, an underrated art form. They are glorious at telling stories and making you truly feel a certain way. The use of weather inside games can really help to tell a story, to make the player feel a certain way, to set the environment and so much more! This piece will focus on the use of rain in gaming as sometimes, it feels so real, so real like you could smell it entering your room.
“Still Wakes the Deep” is a Scottish horror game set on an oil rig in the North Sea in the 1970s. You play as an electrician named ‘Caz’ who must try and survive unimaginable, otherworldly horrors after a drilling incident goes wrong. At the start of the game, you are introduced to a variety of very real human characters, these characters are staff on the rig and the game does a great job of fleshing them out. Soon after the start, the drill goes too far and awakens a monstrous entity,
it has tentacles that trap the bottom of the rig in its grasp, yet this awoken entity is not the worst of it. This beast infects the crew members. They slowly transform into fleshy beings that scream in pain as they try to hunt you down. You witness your friends become these grotesque creatures that are dying slowly, still conscious yet they are no longer themselves, the quietness of the rig gets interrupted by beast-like howls. The first creature that you come face to face with after the incident is a crew member called ‘Gibbo’ who was ordered to fix the water tanks which is where he gets splashed by oil and becomes infected causing the mutation. The now transformed “Gibbo” screams for you to leave, crying in pain and begging for you to not look at him, saying how sorry he is for killing people, pleading his case, begging for forgiveness. Showing that he’s still there, he’s alive in this fleshy body that is no longer human. He just wants to see his loved ones again, the harrowing horror of being trapped instead of a body that is no longer your own. He hides deep below the deck and when you eventually climb up and out the top, rain thuds against the rig, the droplets provide a sense of calm for a moment.
Then the rain brings you back to reality, reminding you that this is set in our world, set in Scotland, not in space or in a madeup planet. Then you look out of your bedroom window, towards the Tay River, you sneak a glance at the oil rigs that are docked down there and then you hear the rain, you hear it gently tapping on your
“It reminds you that this setting is not so fictional after all.”
window. it reminds you that this setting is not so fictional after all. Then your moment of thinking is interrupted by the howls from the video game exiting the speaker, filling the room, interrupting a moment of solitude and calm.
The use of rain in video games can truly help to set a sorrow tone and we can see this in so many games. The use of rain in ‘Still Wakes the Deep’ emphasises the isolation that Caz is experiencing, it is as if the rain is the barrier from the mainland. Towards the end of the game, we find Caz’s good friend ‘Roy’ dead. Roy is a character we see during heartwarming flashbacks with Caz’s family as Roy is the godfather of Caz’s children. The player spends a lot of time during the game trying to save Roy as well, working with him, engaging with him during the majority of cutscenes, Roy is such a striking character! Finding him dead is such a sad and tense moment that is really emphasised by the rainfall, even with the creature’s tentacles wrapped around the rig, you are not scared but instead you are heartbroken. The player finds themselves walking mindlessly to the next objective in a state of sorrow, the sounds of the rain battering down on the remains of the rig drown out the continuous howling of the beasts from across the rig.
Another game that uses rain effectively is Red Dead Redemption 2. One of my favourite rumours that stems from this game is a simple one, many believe that it rains more in game when you refuse to progress the story. I don’t know if this is true, but I would like to think it is. I’m someone who gets to chapter 3 and does every side quest, hunting mission and what-not before I even begin to touch on the main story. Chapter 3 is filled with so much sorrow yet it is certainly one of the last truly happy parts of the game! I would like to think that this push forward is a hint, the storm is inevitable so just push forward, what’s coming will come no matter how hard you try to change things. How deeply touching is that? This is my interpretation, who knows if it’s accurate.
The weather is beautiful, you can set up camp in your tent and let the rain batter down against it, you can watch full blown thunderstorms occur in front of you! You can get caught up in them and become soaked head to toe, it is wonderfully immersive and really works so well! RDR2 does not use rain so much for storytelling and instead it is utilised more for creating a sense of environment, creating that rich and lively world that you get to explore every inch of! The
“Sometimes it’s comforting, sometimes it creates a sense of fear and terror and sometimes you sit there and swear you can smell it.”
world within this game is one of the best parts about it, there is always an event to stumble upon and a character to talk to. The rain and environment just adds to this, the tranquillity of exploring such a vast map during a rainstorm is wonderful; setting up camp and just fully indulging in the weather is unbeatable. The rain creates such a wonderful feeling, a cosy experience for the player.
When I was talking about this article with my mum, she brought up an interesting feeling with rain in gaming. I think it encapsulates this piece pretty well. She loves when it is raining in ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ because it is usually raining in real life at the same time! There will be a complex reason behind this, and it might not always rain every single time but when the weather links up she loves it, I think that’s really sweet. I think maybe rain in video games is that simple, it’s that warm feeling that it gives us instead. I miss being young and having days in the house where my mum and I would play Animal Crossing on the WII or Minecraft on my Xbox together while it rained outside and on the odd occasion that it rained in game, my younger self could not comprehend it! How did the game know it was raining in real life too? I have two younger siblings as well and when they started to get into gaming and this phenomenon would occur, they’d ask me the same question, “how?”.
Rain is such a powerful device that can truly make you feel so much emotion, making you feel like you are really there. Sometimes it’s comforting, sometimes it creates a sense of fear and terror and sometimes you sit there and you swear that you can smell it, the scent of the rain as it breaks through the thick city air.
Sometimes the screen goes blank, the credits start slowly rolling yet the rain is still there, the sound echoes out of the speakers and it fills your now quiet room The rain keeps falling and falling. You look outside and it continues to fall and for a moment, everything feels perfectly in sync, your chest rises and falls, the sorrow in your chest begins to lift as if the storm is truly passing.
A peaceful moment of tranquillity, only being interrupted by the smell of rain creating a rift through the thick polluted city air. Knowing that tomorrow, the grass will be dewy and there will be that fresh smell of rain lingering on the air.
Words: Holly Flynn
Sweet Angel Lacy
Inspired by ‘Lacy’ by Olivia Rodrigo
She isn’t here but she floats through the air in and out of the words that leave their lips sweet and angelic it must be Lacy
They always gravitate towards her the golden girl nothing lures them away not even my screams that are one last attempt to show them I am here instead, they’re protecters of their sweet angel Lacy
I care
I watch how she shines for others, an effortless radiation I want to rip open her skin and take the sparkle but it wasn’t crafted for me
Their lives wouldn’t be the same without her even if I brought bliss, wore her fruity perfume, learned the inside jokes and went on trips, and made sure to tie the same pink ribbon in my hair
I try to forget, try to avoid as they count down the days until she is here her presence is an honour yet, my stomach stays in knots
When she gracefully arrives she lingers closely and all I can do is watch as she slowly poisons those I have left she captivates them, as they drift away from me with each embrace, laugh, and compliment
It feels like Lacy is out to get me taking what she wants surrounding herself with those who can’t get enough as I stand alone
Yet I can’t seem to hate her no matter how much I want to I know her wide smile is also for me I only despise how much I worship, sweet angel Lacy
Words: Subashini Thangadurai, Design: Iman Cinjarevic
lightbulb moment
i think new beginnings mirror old ones. like there’s something vaguely familiar about it all. the smiles. the tears. the laughs. the relentless desire to become. someone. but it hits so hard all of a sudden. the urge to have it all figured out. leaving nights filled with restless worry instead of visions of tomorrow’s recess. tag. you’re it.
lightbulb moment:
a moment that can only be defined as a realization. a slow one. a flicker. one you’d rather not figure out. not to be confused with eureka. looking up at a light from the comfort of a twin bed. laying with one’s thoughts. letting it settle. ruminate. feeling completely unable to reach for the switch. staying with the uncomfortable truth for a little while longer. before eventually drifting off to sleep.
Words: Molly Wilson, Design: Alex Gordon
Brain Fog in the Second Floor Quiet Area
Into the belly of the Beast.
Through the silvery automated security guards. Access Granted. Up the treacherous steps leading to my enemy, one step at a time.
Preparing for a fight I know I will lose. My mind works against me, forsakes me.
(but such obvious solutions, it is pure laziness)
This procrastination a premonition of the picture to unPack.
I wish for clarity but all I get is perspicuity and transpicuousness. All I receive is mud.
Mud? Don’t you mean obfuscate? Imbecilic, bovine fool! Intelligent, intelligent woman. No more. Tired, smudged eyes and brain FOG.
‘What did you do today?’ ... FUCK ALL!
Scroll Scroll Scroll (and maybe some shit poetry). Down I go
And out the silvery automated security guards again, out into the cold raw winter. All to do it again tomorrow.
Rotten Cardboard Boxes
The sweet smell of petrichor, once a comforting scent, is now a haunting reminder of who I once was.
Just as I had begun to think I was lucky enough to have escaped it, the sound of my name echoes from the top of the basement stairs. Letting out an exasperated sigh, I make my way up. Reappearing a few moments later, hefting a bundle of folded cardboard boxes under each arm. Once again, I find myself burdened with the distasteful task of disposing of the small bookshop’s waste.
The basement itself has a door leading outside, a cold, concrete tomb where boxes are left to rot. Little frames of thick glass in the ceiling allow fragments of the world above to filter in, yet during downpours, they welcome in rain. With a swift kick, the flimsy door opens, the creak echoing within the stillness. Manoeuvring myself around the moulding carcasses of recently dumped boxes, I lay the new arrivals in their final resting place.
A shadow flits past my periphery, and a piercing blue hue moves with it. I freeze, my breath hitching in my throat. For a
moment, I am paralysed, spiralling into panic at what I thought I saw. The rhythmic dripping of water pulls me back to reality as I glance down to find rainwater trickling through the roof. The water cascades onto an open book, helplessly sprawled on the cold, hard floor. The ink bleeding out from its page’s pools around it, as if the book itself were dying.
I inch closer to inspect the book, but the moment I touch the waterlogged pages, I instinctively recoil; they are ice cold. My heart pounds, and I brace myself. I harshly grab the book and flick through. The book is damaged due to ageing decay, with only the title, ‘The Horrors of the Weather,’ visible.
A yell from beyond the door gives me an excuse to leave. I reluctantly part ways with the book, leaving it to crumble on the floor where I found it. As I let it drop from my grasp, an ominous chill fills the air, as if the book itself is watching, waiting for my return.
Later in the day, a sudden bout of rain sends water seeping in, leaving me to inspect the damage. The situation isn’t
disastrous, but a few puddles dot the floor. I quickly notice the book is no longer where I left it. Ever since I touched it, every fibre of my being feels on edge. I hate to admit it, but the book scares me.
After ten minutes of mopping up the rain, I notice a line of black ink smeared across the floor. A part of me wants to ignore it, but the pull of curiosity is too strong. I have to find that book. Following the dark trail, I uncover it, buried underneath piles of old bags. With a sense of unease, I dig it out, gently lifting it from the floor. The wet, black ink dripping down onto my shoes.
The book starts violently convulsing in my hands, and as I open it wider, black ink gushes forth, drenching me and the floor around me. Rather than dispersing, the ink takes on a solid form, gradually rising and materialising into something unfathomable.
A wave of horror crashes over me, making my stomach churn. My pulse thunders in my ears, reverberating throughout my entire being as the chilling transformation unfolds before me.
Feet as grey as fog form on the floor before me, followed by legs covered in luminous
blue veins. A long, grey torso with gangly grey arms and a head adorning a stringy mop of coal black hair, dripped with water. There are no whites of his eyes; instead, what looks into mine is nothing but a pair of blue orbs.
He approaches me, his brilliantly blue veins pulsing in the darkness of the room. His fingers collide with my outstretched hands as I try to keep my distance, but he grips onto me fiercely. I watch in terror as the blue essence escapes his body and flows into mine, transforming my blood vessels into a bright blue. The once light pink of my skin turns to a pale, smoky, grey. My colour is forcefully taken from my body and siphoned into his. Slowly, his form begins to look like ... mine. His once blue eyes have turned a dark green. And his hair is no longer black and dripping wet; it’s brown and dry. I try to fight back, but I’m paralysed; my body is changing, and I can’t stop it. My eyes sting, and I can’t see because water and ink fill them, streaming down me and soaking my feet. The sound of a book snaps shut loudly in my water-clogged ears. Everything stops.
My senses are rendered useless, but I can still smell the once comforting scent of petrichor.
A CRAFTSMAN’S FINAL FILM THE KUBRICK “CONSPIRACY” :
A sudden death, a cruel director, and a film about elite underground sex cults? Definitely sounds like the recipe for a brilliant conspiracy theory. Enter Stanley Kubrick, the director responsible for classics like A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. Kubrick’s career ended abruptly after completing an unlucky thirteenth film, Eyes Wide Shut, which was released posthumously in 1999.
Eyes Wide Shut stars Tom Cruise as Bill Harford, an upper-class doctor in New York. Bill’s curiosity leads him to stumble upon the meeting of an ominous sex cult and unveils how the upper class indulge in their intimate desires. While Cruise almost exclusively appears in action movies today, he performed in a wider range of roles in the 80s and 90s, and a film about cults should certainly be quite suitable for Cruise, given his outspoken support for Scientology.
The film could perhaps win the prize for the least sexy film about sex ever made. Almost every scene contains some sexual nod, yet the whole 159 minutes is painfully uncomfortable. Dialogue is sometimes paced weirdly, and shots hang on just a moment longer than they ought to. The result is a dreamlike feeling throughout the movie, mirroring the confusion of the main character, Bill, as he discovers the surreal and inexplicable world around him.
As a director, Kubrick was known to really push his cast, with some shots taking over one hundred takes before he was satisfied. He would shoot repeatedly until he was absolutely certain he had exactly what he wanted. A notable incident of this was when Tom Cruise was made to walk through a door 95 times just to suit Kubrick’s precise vision. Famously, Shelley Duvall called The Shining a given his extreme demands, yet she still praised his work and actively denied that Kubrick was abusive to her, despite others’ claims.
It should be no surprise that shooting this way was timely. Eyes Wide holds the world record for the longest continuous film shoot, at some 400 days. That’s almost three times as long as most other blockbuster films.
In his final days, Kubrick would push himself just as hard as he did his cast. At 70 years old, he worked 20-hour days to complete Eyes Wide Shut. Just four days after screening the final cut, Kubrick would die of a heart attack in his sleep. While it would be a great conspiracy theory, there isn’t anything more to find here. Kubrick’s immense commitment to his most ambitious film would wear on his health, ultimately making Eyes Wide Shut his final contribution to the world of cinema.
Picture this: an art student sits in their studio. Head in hands, worrying about their deadlines. They pick up their tools and rush to hit the mark. The authenticity in their works begins to falter. The creations are no longer for self-pleasure, but to make those who will never understand the process accept them and pretend to care. All they want is to be seen as the real artists they deep down know they are.
We, as artists, must slow down. The final product is not what we should strive for, but to enjoy the journey, as cheesy as it may sound. We are so quick to dismiss the hours of pain and laborious work it takes to create our masterpieces that the process becomes a forgettable blur. Something we don’t reflect on; it was just a means to an end. We are still not pleased either way, we become clouded by an imposter syndrome that engulfs our values and beliefs, and we become stuck in a creative spiral that is lacklustre and painful. To soothe this endless cycle, let us take a moment to appreciate a truly talented Irish artist who can help us become more connected and intertwined with our own creative process.
Leah Beggs is a contemporary visual artist originally from Dublin. Her practice explores lighting and colours in connection to emotion, through her landscape paintings.
Her work aims to draw her audience into the sensory impact and visual experience that we face when looking at her fluid, expressive creations. Her process is intriguing to watch. She consistently works on multiple paintings simultaneously, allowing them to flow interchangeably together. She slowly builds up the painting using thin layers of paint, until she edits and defines with more opaque layers. Using a multitude of tools, including brushes, rags, palette knives, and even fingers, these varying tools build upon different textures to create abstract landscapes within her work. Getting deep within the paint and how they are laid means there’s always something different to see when you observe her work.
The fluidity Beggs holds whilst creating is something all artists should strive for. Perfection gets us nowhere except burning out over an area that won’t blend right, or because our final product is not felt as intensely by those around us. Therefore, I shall leave us here, with the wise word of Beggs herself from her website,
‘When I paint, I am immersed in the painterly experience. By combining my technical skills as a painter together with my emotional response to the landscape brings an immersive and reflective quality to my work, for both artist and observer.’
Listen...Can You Hear It?
Let’s begin in 1308, when the renowned Italian poet, writer, and philosopher Dante Alighieri started his journey of writing his most famous and influential piece of work. ‘The Divine Comedy’. This epic poem was divided into three sections: Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Paradise). Inferno will be what we explore today, being the most wellknown part of Dante’s comedy.
Inferno tells the story of Dante being guided by the Roman poet Virgil through the nine circles of Hell. Exploring the concept of human sin, much of Catholicism influenced the beliefs of the fourteenth century. Every circle within Inferno represents a different human sin, the souls of those who acted upon these in life were trapped within their corresponding circles.
Many famous historical figures were depicted throughout the poem, such as the philosophers Socrates and Aristotle, residing in circle one ‘Limbo’ due to not being baptised and their absence of belief in a higher power. In the second circle, ‘Lust’, figures such as Cleopatra and Achilles were punished for their passionate ways of living. The impact of this poem resonates throughout history, inspiring many a well-known individual from all walks of life. Someone heavily influenced by such an impactful piece of literature is the singer/songwriter Hozier. Through his discography, mentions of Greek and Roman myths and tales are peppered within heartfelt and soul-crushing lyrics. Stories such as the
tragic Orpheus and Eurydice are just one instance of depicting an olden tale into the modern age, as we can always find our modern-day tragedies of love, doubt, bargaining and greed all within the ancient myths because they were the first to acknowledge these human instincts honestly.
But where does Dante come into this?
The concept behind Hozier’s third studio album, ‘Unreal Unearth’, released in 2023, was his own exploration of the nine circles of hell, with each song depicting or referencing one of the circles. Structurally, the songs descend through the titles. Like Dantes’ journey through the Inferno, learning and uncovering more the deeper he goes. Within the sixteen-track album, we can recognise the genius in using this century-old poem to depict his own modern emotions, from heartache, identity, turmoil, and the overarching human condition. Looking at the tracks, we can see the influence of the sins firmly within a core selection. Here are some examples.
‘Francessca’ is track four. Symbolising the sin ‘Lust’ as this unshakable force, being caught in a whirlwind romance and adoring every moment. Hozier draws parallels to the famous love story of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta. Humanising their chaotic affair as an act of passion.
‘Eat Your Young’ is track six. Humans are known to succumb to ‘Greed’, from our human instinct of survival of the fittest, to the moneyhungry capitalists in our society. It is hard for humans to be content with what we have; we yearn for more. Hozier captures this by seeing ‘Eating Your Young’ as the vulnerable in society, the impoverished, lower-class, underrepresented people.
‘Butchered Tongue’ is track twelve. ‘Violence’ is something we often see as only physical. Harming the body of another. But Hozier used this song to show how violence has impacted history. The colonisation of the Gaelic language, leading to its quick extinction in many parts of Ireland, is a political attack.
In a time where free speech is praised, many still have their words scrutinised and dubbed over.
Listening to such tear-jerking, heartwrenching tracks which encompass such important themes that impact us in everyday life and melodies that touch our souls. We must thank music for being such an essential vessel for how we engage with what is around us. Arthur Schopenhauer believed in the notion that music was the greatest art form. He was a nineteenth-century German philosopher who, when talking about the arts in their forms. Believed that nothing could compare to music, no painting nor poetry could hold the same value as music. This was because it was not a copy in his eyes. Music stood alone in replicating, unlike a painting, where the artist tries to paint a perfect image before him, but cannot, as perfection does not exist in the material world. We can only find this in the abstract. However, music does not come from the back of something external. A powerful quote from Schopenhauer is ‘Without music, life would be a mistake. It is the truest form of art we can get.’ In relation to Hozier, we can see how he uses his skills as a singer to strike up conversations about what is happening in the world, within the political spheres, and the personal dilemmas we all face. Having someone explain our own turmoil makes us feel more understood because we are never alone in how we think, and if we don’t just sit down once in a while and listen, we may miss something extraordinary.
exe c check
TheExecutive is here to enable you to find your voice and power. We ensure your students association is responsive to your needs. We are independent from the University and take orders from you, not the management. We believe that the best kind of leadership is one that helps as many people find their own leadership, and we look forward to creating the space for you to flourish.
The financial crisis of the university will dominate much of our behind-the-scenes work. This year will be one of immense change and we will be fighting with you to ensure that change does not mean worse student services, fewer course options and further mismanagement of the university. We have our work cut out, which is why we want to do things very differently from the past.
We hope to pilot a significant increase in student staff at the association, not just in the liar but throughout the organisation. DUSA has at times got stuck in its bubble and found it hard to keep in touch with students, especially through Covid, RAAC taking out much of our main building and now this financial crisis. We will prioritise getting as many opportunities for as many students as possible to contribute to the future of your association.
One way of getting involved is in the Student Representative Council. This year we have reduced the number of elected roles and introduced a new system of deputy councillors. Many people stand for election for the wrong reasons while many would be excellent councillors are put off by the election process. We have therefore reformed the SRC to enable a more diverse body through a mix of elections and appointments.
We encourage you – including first year students :) - to get involved in the SRC. If you think you’d like to really get stuck in, go for one of the elected roles. If you think you want to dip your toe and not get overwhelmed with commitments, try a deputy role.
Feel free to reach to us. We’re happy to chat and help you find your place. If you don’t know where to go, come to us and we’ll help you find your way. If you’re buzzing with ideas, let us know them and we’ll see how we can you help you manifest them. And if something’s going wrong, either with DUSA or the university, let us know and we’ll work together to sort it. We’re here for you in good times and bad times.
Together, we have a strong, diverse community. Together, we can make our experience in Dundee awesome. We look forward to working with you this year. See you around :)
Tánaiste
Ramya Ruby Tom
Ivy
Katie Kyle
the execs:
President, Tánaiste:
My priority is to build your individual and collective power to make DUSA, the University and the world better. I want to work with you to get justice. I am not here to pad my CV or suck up to management - I'm here for you. Let me know how I can help. (president@dusa.co.uk , 01382 386002)
VP for Academia, Ramya:
Hello, I’m Ramya Shiva, the elected Vice President Academia at the University of Dundee Students’ Association. In this role, I represent students’ academic needs, ensuring their voices are heard in decisionmaking. This year, I aim to enhance student–staff communication, improve access to academic resources, and promote inclusive, supportive learning environments. (vpa@dusa.co.uk , ramya_vpa)
VP for Representation, Kyle:
Hey Folks, I'm Kyle, our VPR for the year ahead. I really want to focus on improving accessibility, transparency and engagement with student voice. I'm endlessly optimistic and someone who really wants to give my all this year to do the very best job I can. My Office Hours are from 8AM to 4PM and my door is always open. Please feel free to drop by my office at 1 Cross Row (across from the library), see you around campus! (vpr@dusa.co.uk , kyle_vpr)
VP of Student of Wellbeing, Ruby:
Hi, I’m Ruby and I'm going to be your Vice President of Student Wellbeing. My plans focus on supporting and contributing mental health campaigns that will have a long-lasting impact as well ensuring that students mental health is being supported by our services and events. I’m here to ensure everyone feels
seen and supported and you can find me in the Cross Row building opposite the library, always feel free to come say hello! (vpsw@dusa.co.uk , rubymugishavpsw2025)
VP of Student Activities, Tom:
Hi, I’m Tom, I’m really excited to be stepping into the role of Vice President for Student Activities at DUSA! Alongside this position, I’ll also be continuing my studies in fourthyear History and English. I’ve always been passionate about student societies. I’ve been part of the Magdalen, a society committee and the SRC. This year, I’ll be working to support and oversee societies across campus, helping to keep student life vibrant and full of events all year round.
(vpsa@dusa.co.uk , tom.dusa.vpsa)
VP of Community, Ivy:
I’m Ivy your Vice President of Community this year! Alongside my politics degree I have been elected in this role to strengthen community. I aim to achieve this by planning inclusive events and initiatives and making this campus wide by collaborating with societies, staff and sports union alike. I look forward to this year and the things to come!
(vpc@dusa.co.uk , ivyvpc)
VP of Fundraising, Katie:
As Vice President of Fundraising at DUSA, my role involves supporting societies in achieving their fundraising goals, connecting them with charities/initiatives, and collaborating with our Raising and Giving Initiative of the year: DEAFLINKS. I believe the most important aspect of my role is raising awareness of key issues while also creating enjoyable opportunities for students to meaningfully engage with charities.
(vpf@dusa.co.uk , caitlinb_vpf)
The Struggle within David:
A Dive into Giovanni’s Room by
James Baldwin
This summer I made a promise to myself to finally get through some of the books on my ‘to read’ list, which led to me reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. It is safe to say it was a summer book that certainly did not disappoint as it currently has the top spot on my list of favourite books.
First published in 1956, Giovanni’s Room is set in 1950s Paris and is told in the perspective of a young American man called David, who lives in Paris and is awaiting the return of his fiancée Hella as she travels in Spain deeply contemplating his marriage proposal. David reflects about how in Hella’s absence he fell in love with an Italian bartender named Giovanni and that the two started a passionate affair together. At the crux of the novel is the struggle David has with his sexuality and identity, as despite loving Giovanni, he is filled with shame at his homosexuality. This results in him supressing his true self as he stays with Hella, hoping society will see him as a heterosexual man.
The title in itself has a huge significance towards David’s sexuality struggle as Giovanni’s room – which is a small one on the outskirts of Paris that David moves into - acts as a queer space where David can be himself with Giovanni. As David is a closeted gay man, this space begins to symbolise the closet he wishes to stay in, as when David thinks of the society outside the room and the rigid societal expectations he must meet back in America, he begins to crumble.
Sitting at 159 pages, James Baldwin’s novel was a quick read, but I would say it was Baldwin’s writing style that got me through the novel in record time. Each page in Giovanni’s Room is carefully crafted and filled with such emotional depth that you cannot help but get sucked into the Parisian
world of David and Giovanni, as you intensely feel the challenges the men go through like they are your very own. Due to this, I found myself getting attached to the characters, especially Giovanni, who is so willing to start a life with David that his reaction to David’s rejection is utterly tragic to read.
“You want to leave Giovanni because he makes you stink. You want to despise Giovanni because he is not afraid of the stink of love. You want to kill him in the name of all your lying little moralities. And you—you are immoral. You are, by far, the most immoral man I have met in all my life.” 1
Despite my love for Giovanni’s Room, not everyone felt the same way back in the 1950s as James Baldwin went through hardships to get the novel published due to his portrayal of Giovanni and David’s relationship. He presented his manuscript to the popular publishing company Knopf and was deeply encouraged to change the story so that David fell in love with a woman, instead of falling in love with a man. Baldwin of course refused this, himself being a proud gay man, and he moved to the smaller publishing company Dial Press, who published Giovanni’s Room in 1956.
Although Giovanni’s Room focuses on a relationship between two gay men, which seemed to be the only thing that stood out to publishing company Knopf, James Baldwin himself stated that his novel is actually ‘about what happens to you if you’re afraid to love anybody.’2 In this case, Baldwin shows through David that the consequence of this fear is that one will never live a life full of happiness and freedom, which is a very painful consequence to say the least.
The lingering thought I had in my mind as I read Giovanni’s Room was that David will forever be cursed, as the love between him and Giovanni that has slipped through his fingers is sure to haunt him as he grows older. Even the room they shared together stays on David’s mind as he states:
“I scarcely know how to describe that room. It became, in a way, every room I had ever been in and every room I find myself in hereafter will remind me of Giovanni’s room.” 3
Without giving too much away, I will just simply say that if you are someone who loves a romance novel, then I strongly recommend you to read Giovanni’s Room. Yes, the novel is heartbreaking, and you might need some tissues, but I can confidently say that months after reading the novel, it is still on my mind - which for me means it was a great read! If I am honest, I ended up sitting in silence for a bit after I finished the novel as I came to terms with the fact the emotional rollercoaster Baldwin took me on had ended.
Even though it has been sixty years since the release of Giovanni’s Room, the conversations around the exploration of sexuality and identity within the novel are still relevant in today’s time which, in my opinion, grants the novel to be a timeless classic. I look forward to reading more of James Baldwin’s works as the effect Giovanni’s Room had on me is something I definitely won’t be able to forget!
1 James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room, (Penguin Books, 2001) p.134
2 James Baldwin, The Last Interview: And Other Conversations, (Melville House, 2014) p.61
3 James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room, (Penguin Books, 2001)
Words: Holly Flynn, Design: Heidi Le
PEER CONNECTIONS
University life is full of amazing opportunities, but it’s natural to sometimes feel a little lost, isolated, or even lonely along the way. This is where Peer Connections can help!
Peer Connections is the university’s buddying scheme, designed to support students who are struggling to integrate into university life. Peer Connectors are students who are currently studying here and have been specially trained to support those experiencing social isolation and loneliness. They are also hard to miss in their bright yellow t-shirts, making them easy to spot around campus.
So, how can these wonderful Peer Connectors help you? The Peer Connectors run their own weekly drop-ins, which are open to all students. These include craft-making sessions, board games, and even gardening drop-ins at the Grow and Glow allotment! These are great opportunities to meet like-minded people in an informal, pressure-free environment while trying something new.
In addition to the weekly drop ins, Peer Connectors also run networking events. These events can range from Speed Friending to Scavenger Hunts and trips to community hotspots all of which are designed to meet people, learn new things – and of course to have fun!
If group activities aren’t your thing, you can also arrange a one-to-one appointment with a Peer Connector via the Peer Connections website or by emailing peerconnections@dundee.ac.uk. They can offer you a confidential space to talk through any concerns or simply share ideas. We can also take into account any preferences you have when asking for a buddy (for example gender, home country, course of study) and will make a match where we can based on this. Appointments can take place in a more formal setting if you prefer, or in relaxed spaces such as the Global Room or Liar Bar.
In short, Peer Connections is here to help you make the most out of your university life. It’s for students and run by students so will constantly evolve around what students want and need.
Maybe after reading this, you’ll decide that you’re not needing this type of support, but may be interested in a volunteering with Peer Connections. There are lots of perks of becoming a Peer Connector, such as receiving training and having the opportunity to apply for the Dundee Plus Award, but the biggest is having a sense of achievement and giving back to the student community. Hear from our Peer Connector Tanvin, who describes their time as a Peer Connector
“Studying at the University of Dundee as a student has been an incredibly enriching experience. I’ve just completed my third year in BEng Mechanical Engineering (Hons), and I’m now preparing for my final year. During my journey, I became a Peer Connector last year. It’s given me the opportunity to join different events and programmes on campus, including Welcome Week for new students, which has been truly rewarding for me. Through this role, I’ve met different people, provided necessary information & built meaningful connections. I also developed valuable communication and leadership skills.”
For more information on how to volunteer or anything mentioned in this article, contact peerconnections@dundee.ac.uk
Kathryn Leitch peerconnections@dundee.ac.uk
Peer Connections Weekly Drop-Ins
Craft and Connect: Tuesdays 10:00 – 12:00, The Enquiry Centre
Grow and Glow: Wednesday 14:30 – 15:30, The Enquiry Centre then walk to Campus Allotments
Boardgames and Banter: Thursday 15:00 – 17:00, The Global Room
Typhoon Season for
Before visiting Hong Kong for summer school, I had never set foot outside of Europe. Despite this, when the locals warned me about typhoon season, I thought I would be reasonably prepared, having witnessed heavy rain in Scotland, England, and even Norway. After all, rain is rain, right? Well, I was wrong.
The first time the rain caught me, I was walking back to our hotel from a 7-Eleven run, happily sipping my milk tea. For a second, it was just a drop of water, but I dismissed it as an AC drip, a frequent surprise when walking beneath the airconditioning units that hang over the streets in Hong Kong. But I was wrong. Again.
The heavens opened. It was like a column of water collapsing from the sky onto me; it was almost impossible to see anything through this aquatic curtain. It was similar to fog in that way, except this fog was warm and rushing, and worst of all, really wet!
the First Time
is ironically quite rare; people usually just pull up their hoods, put their heads down, and hope the rain lets up.
When the downpour finally eased, I noticed that the air carried a familiar scent. It was a vegetal yet metallic scent that had also been mixed with the salty air of the harbour. I recalled a memory of Edinburgh after a summer shower, where the same dampness clung to cobblestone streets as puddles shone like glass, and vibrant rainbows arched across skies still streaked with grey. This was the scent of home in a city I barely knew, and it lingered long after I had dried off.
I quickly took refuge under a nearby park shelter. Meanwhile, the locals, completely unfazed, pulled out their umbrellas and continued about their day. Back home in Scotland, carrying around an umbrella
Over the next few days, the things I had overlooked began to make sense and tell a story about Hong Kong’s approach to the rain. The exceptionally long covered walkways, underground malls, and the fact that you could walk through entire districts via the metro stations and malls without ever going outside all pointed to a city built to live with storms -which only became clear to me after being caught in the downpour myself. By contrast, in Scotland, rain is an inconvenience people rarely prepare for, whether on an individual level, with clothes and umbrellas, or on a societal level, with infrastructure. Despite these differences, one thing remained the same: the earthy scent after the rain which was able totransport me across continents and back home to the sunwarmed mossy streets of Edinburgh.
A Freshers Guide to Dundee Pubs:
As I enter my fourth and final year at Dundee Uni, it is safe to say I am extremely well versed in Dundee Pubs. Going to the pub to play Uno and have pints has become an unhealthy hobby of mine; however it seems somewhat productive for this article.
My favourite pubs are ‘old man pubs’- but not the kind where you are stared at as soon as you walk in. The kind with traditional character and age worn wood furniture.
Good pints, people, and atmosphere are essential.
The pubs in Dundee have something for everyone. There’s art themed, traditional, music themed pubs and more-bar type places. Here are my top five!
1. George Orwell
George Orwell takes the number one spot on my list for many reasons. Firstly the aesthetics. Dimly lit and atmospheric, it’s furnished with the comfiest leather armchairs, fireplaces and ambient candles.
As an English and Philosophy student, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I love Orwell’s. The pub truly embraces it’s literary namesake with its Orwell themed memorabilia, including vintage book covers and a décor that transports you to a book lover’s haven.
More so, they have a great selection of drinks and is one of the only place in Dundee where you can find a Modelo; a Spanish beer that’s a bit like Corona but a lot better.
The best bit about Orwell’s is all the games they have behind the bar. It is here that I began my hobby of playing Uno in the pub. Maybe it’s my inability to sit still but a pub with games is the best.
2. The Phoenix
The Pheonix, can be found at the very bottom of the Perth road and is one of Dundee’s oldest pub’s. It’s quirky but traditional.
It’s a pub where the décor, menu and people have barely changed in decadeswhich is part of the charm. Both my Mum and Dad, who went to college in Dundee back in the day, say the Phoenix was their favourite pub- so maybe it’s hereditary that it’s ended up on this list.
The Pheonix is unpretentious and welcoming. It draws a mis of students, regulars, locals, and theatre folk (it’s two minutes from the rep and DCA).
The stained glass windows, dark wood, and old brewery mirrors create the warm classic pub setting. It’s cozy and has lots of wee wooden booths and green leather benches.
3. Mennie's (Speedwells)
Another one of my Dad’s favourites; Mennie’s, or The Speedwell Bar just opposite Sainsbury’s on the Perth Road.
A bit of history for you, it’s an Edwardian B listed Heritage Pub. Built in 1903 for James Speed but known as Mennie’s after the family who ran it for more than 50 years.
I love this pub mainly for its oldy feel and how historic it is.
A bar on the streetIt has these wee side rooms with fireplaces, which are my favourite to sit in. And generally it’s just filled with good pints and good people.
4. Star and Garter
The Star and Garter is a recent discovery of mine. It’s down in town opposite Assai Records.
It has that old pub feel, just like the previous three, and at the back lies a whisky saloon.
I am not one to drink whisky, however this room at the end of the pub is a bonus- its intimate and relaxed. For those who do like whisky, it features over 300 whiskies!
Star and Garter has cheap pints and a free jukebox! Which is why it’s made it on the list. You don’t need to rake through your wallet to find change, you can just put on whatever music you like for free.
5. The Braes
The Braes It is a go to pub, especially if you are part of a society or sports team because you will most likely get discounted pints and food.
Right across from campus, it is rude not to go into Braes after a heavy session at the library. The staff are friendly, and you will always see someone you know. They have a fab quiz and a basement with a pool table.
It is essential that you go to Braes for a melt burger and a couple of pints!
Some other great pubs that didn’t make the list are:
The Dubliner, O Marley’s, Groucho’s, Tinsmiths, Tay Bridge Bar
There were a good mix of responses from those who replied to my Instagram, with the best response being: “The dingiest pub you can find”.
Mennie’s, Pheonix, Orwell’s, Braes, and O Marley’s were mentioned a lot. Balconyanother classic- was included.
Molly Malones, Glass Bucket, Draffens, and Nola were also put forward as the best Dundee pub.
However, it is all subjective. Each pub has something of it’s own to offer. And part of being at uni here is finding your favourite pub. Hopefully this guide can point you in the right direction (to the door of Orwell’s).
Why Do Memories Smell?
Petrichor, the smell that comes with rain after a long, warm, and dry spell always brings back childhood memories. For me, it’s me with my sister in the garden, watching a downpour while our parents run to shelter. It is always an odd experience when this memory is recalled, it’s so strong and vivid I am almost transported back to the moment.
These memorable moments trigged by a smell has to do with the layout and anatomy of the brain. The olfactory bulb is where everything we smell is interpreted. It’s located right at the front of our brain. In our nose we have special cells which have a direct connection to the olfactory bulb. When we take a whiff of something, molecules in the air are connecting to receptors on these special cells and once a receptor is activated it sends a signal to our brain’s olfactory bulb. It’s like if you were to put a key in a door, and when the door unlocks, a message is sent to your phone. This is how we interpret different smells; each molecule has a specific receptor.
Next door neighbours of the olfactory bulb include the amygdala, emotional centre of the brain; and the hippocampus, the information processing point of our brain. It is also where our memories are stored. These two centres work closely to together which is why most memories we have are associated with some emotions.
The way humans interpret smell is limited compared to other species, the classic example that is often brought up is the
variety of odours dogs can differentiate between. Dogs not only have more of these special smell receptors than humans, but their brains are wired differently; they are able to build a 3D picture of the world around them using smell. A recent study showed there are direct links in the brain between their olfactory bulb and the area of the brain that interprets and process vision. Meaning your four-legged friend may literally be looking at the smells around them.
If we smell something that these areas of the brain believe to be important, the hippocampus will capture it and memorise it, like taking a screenshot and saving it. Next time we take a whiff of those particular molecules they are immediately recognised again, but this time that smell is linked to a memory plus emotion, giving us the surreal experience of mental time travel. But why does this not happen with other senses?
Smell is also very specific, other senses are a bit more general. Let’s say you see a red rectangle, it looks similar to a red box you saw last year; the memory of the box is recalled to your attention without actually seeing the same box in front of you. An item can look alike to something in your memory for it to be recalled to your attention. However, with smell it takes the same very specific molecule to activate a very specific receptor to recall a very specific moment.
Most of these memories are from earlier in life, usually before a person is 10. This can be explained since a sense of smell matures the quickest, so core memories from our childhood are saved by the hippocampus along with a smelly cue rather than a verbal or visual cue. This is how we get so called ‘mental time travel’ when a particular smell transports us back into the past, usually to our childhood.
We still don’t know much about the way we smell; I think it is an area of research that should have more attention. We don’t fully understand how the nose is able to interpret complex odours, or how the likes of a virus can reduce the ability to smell. Knowing the difference between good and bad smells was and still is important to our survival. Our ancestors knew if food smelt bad, they probably shouldn’t eat it, but since the time of our primitive ancestors our ability to smell has shrunk –is that helpful to us in the modern era or does it do us a disservice?
I do believe that good, positive and uplifting scents can improve a person’s mental wellbeing. Like most things being surrounded by what you like is an important aspect of being happy, that includes odours. If our olfactory bulb is closely linked to our emotion centres, smell must make an impact on how we feel, I know for sure being surrounded of vile stench would have a bad impact on my mood so it must be the same for the opposite.
So, whether good smells are bringing back joyous memories or just making the day better, I’ve got a good excuse to buy a new candle and some flowers for my flat.
WHERE DID PUBLIC DECORUM GO?
Long ago, going to a concert felt like a collective, wholesome experience. Now it feels more like surviving a battlefield of people with bad manners and zero empathy, who’ll blow bubblegum vape clouds into the unenamoured crowd.
I went to a concert this week, and two minutes before the main act, a 17-foottall man (or at least that’s how tall he felt) planted himself right in front of me. He was sporting a massive, fringed, neongreen, ugly cowboy hat. Words can’t describe how much this hat angered me. And as if entirely blocking my line of sight wasn’t enough, he proceeded to constantly have a rotation of cigarettes in his mouth, blowing smoke directly into my face. I can’t say I didn’t giggle when his lighter ran out of fluid.
I know I’m making it sound like I don’t have a good time at concerts, but I do. I love going and supporting my favourite artists and experiencing them perform live. And I know that there’s always going to be taller people and other unfortunate circumstances which means the blocking of others’ views is inevitable- it’s a fact of life and there’s not much anyone can do about it.
My problem, however, is the factors which there can be something done about. Let me elaborate. I’ve talked about those who don’t care about concert etiquette.
But now, can we talk about the concert gatekeepers? The ones who loudly proclaim they “liked the band before they blew up,” and treat every new fan like an intruder in their private space. These are the people who will ask you to name five songs (as if they’re auditioning you), roll their eyes when someone cheers for a hit single, or act personally offended when someone wears merch without being able to recite every lyric from the album from 2013.
No one cares that you saw them in a dive bar in 2017, Greg. We’re all here for the same reason: we love the artist, and we want to experience live music in a space that feels exciting and safe. Concerts should be a celebration, not a hierarchy.
So, here’s a gentle PSA: if you’re going to a concert, try not to be the reason someone else’s night gets ruined. Take off the hat, be aware of the space you’re in, and try to remember that you’re sharing this moment with thousands of other people who love the music just as much as you do. Let’s try to remember to act as part of a crowd, not a competition! I promise; we’ll all have much more fun.
Words: Drew Steel, Design: Katie McKain
Be More Hayley: Make Music Fun Again
I’m Excited to Go Back;
As we are nearing the start-up of classes for the next academic year, I am hearing more and more back-to-school-blues. Students are going to miss the freedom they have during summer. Only having to worry about how the weather is looking and saving up money for the incoming semester; not having to worry about the atrocious hangover they will have in their 9am Thursday lecture. I too, will miss the freedom that summer brings, it is always a welcome respite after the stress of exams and end of term submissions. However, I get antsy after a month or two of only heading to work and back. I always feel as if I am watching the world go by during summer and then the need to write and read comes flooding back (all the more reason to become a writer for The Magdalen, nudge nudge). It is always fulfilling when I have to write about the impact of manifest destiny on the Turtle Island settler colonies.
I have always loved learning, my mum really drilled that into my brothers and I, so much so that when I eventually leave academia for the world of work, I will be leaving a piece of me behind. Although there are times when I would rather do numerous loads of laundry than have to examine yet another peer-reviewed article on the importance of international tariffs and trade in the 21st century, the online world of JSTOR is one of my favourite places to be. There is a wealth of knowledge to be found in the library and even more to be found on the online world of academia. You can find absolutely anything that tickles your fancy. Human rights norm diffusion? Librarians will send you in the right direction. Contrasting the Haitian and French revolutions? A couple of keystrokes away. There is no way to say this without sounding like a complete swot, but, I love finding new topics to talk about with other people and ‘fun’ facts that I can spew when I feel the discussion lulling. For example, the reason why most of the population is right-handed is due to women hunting and gathering with their children; women rested their young on their left hip as their heartbeat soothed young childrenmimicking their time in the womb. This kept their left hand occupied and their right free to gather. AH! How cool is that?! I love this anthropological fact, and I love telling people about it even more – you can read more about it in Rosalind Mile’s 1988 book , Who Cooked the Last Supper: The Women’s History of the World.
I have been told that it is easier to be passionate about your studies when you are doing a subject like history instead of a career-oriented degree like medicine or dentistry. WRONG! I have met some people who delight in telling me (and anyone who will listen) about specific nerve functions and types of liver illnesses. Undoubtably, your degree will become much easier, and you will see better results, if you take joy in your studies. Heading to the library no longer becomes a chore but something you will take pleasure in. I used to dread writing long form essays but once I find that position in my argument, I cannot wait to get those words flowing.
Originally, that quote is from a poem about a student who used AI to write an assignment for Fasano’s class, however, I believe that it is still applicable to all academia.
And if you don’t love the work, at least make sure you have lots of super fun stationary to make your studies a little more enjoyable. What could be morefun than pastelcoloured highlighters and a bendy ruler?
There will always be times where you find a particular subject difficult and thus, avoid the library and MyDundee like the plague, but the only way through it is to get on with it; the first draft is meant to be shit. For fellow perfectionists such as myself, this is a hard truth to swallow, but swallow it we must! Trust me, you will not get anywhere if you are agonising over every little comma. No one is a perfect writer, your lecturers and tutors marking your work will still mix up a dangling participle and active voice from time to time. Good writing, especially academic writing, comes with time, practice and a lot of error. You are not going to master it in a day.
A quote by Joseph Fasano, an American poet, novelist and songwriter which I feel encapsulates the sentiment of this article is as following:
If you still doubt my Malala-esque approach to your studies, you can grow the love through other ways. If you hate writing essays but have a love for stationary, who knows? You might end up loving essays as you write with your favourite pen and pastel-coloured highlighters. Graphing sounds boring at first but annotating with neon gel pens? Sign me up! If you incorporate something you are passionate about in your degree then your four years at university become that much more satisfying.
Meet the Team!
Senior Team
Editor-in-Chief
Molly Wilson
Creative Directors
Ayla Ahmed
Heidi Le
Section Editors
Arts & Culture
Sage Cormack
Lifestyle
Dep. Editor-in-Chief
Eva Milne
Creative
Subashini Thangadurai
Opinions
Holly Flynn Lucas McCall
Creative Team
Featured Artist
Ewan Rieley
Illustrators
Agne Irbe
Ellen Kao
Iman Cinjarevic
Mia Duffy
Quintana Beattie
Wen Xi Kong
Cover Design
Featured Photographer
Jesslyn Lesmana
Photographers
Jesslyn Lesmana
Nyle Walker
Mollie Hawkes
Issue 113's stunning cover was photographed by Jesslyn Lesmana and illustrated by Ellen Kao!
Social Media
Layla El-Dah
Publishing
The Magdalen is published by Dundee University Student Association (DUSA).
