Issue 231

“I don’t think people realised how bad the situation had got”

St Can-drews President Ruby Newsham

Thursday September 26, 2019 Issue 231

News Page 5

2020 winter graduation to be held in Sports Centre TAMARA MCWILLIAM

Photo: Henry Memmott

News Editor

Hundreds march for climate action St Andrews students and locals take part in what local MP calls “the largest demonstration for decades”

REID CHAMPLIN Over 1,200 protesters took to the streets and beaches of St. Andrews on Friday to demand action against global climate change in what Scottish Liberal Democrats Leader, Willie Rennie, called “the largest demonstration in St Andrews in twenty, thirty, forty years.”

Organised as part of the Global Climate Strike, students and activists of all ages skipped classes, work, and other obligations to march through the streets of St Andrews and form a massive human chain at West Sands Beach, a “line in the sand”, against inaction over an impending climate crisis.

A crowd of nearly 200 assembled in St Salvator’s Quad an hour before the event, where organisers spoke

about the vital importance of combating climate change and led the raucous crowd in a series of chants which would echo through the streets for hours to come: “Whose planet? Our planet!”

“No coal, no oil, keep your carbon in the soil!”

“What do we want? Action! When do we want it? Now!” The protesters marched through North Street and Market Street before congregating on West Sands Beach, where hundreds of town residents, activists and children had already assembled.

Nearly two hundred gathered in St Salvator’s Quad Before the assembled crowd, Lorna Milne, Deputy Principal of

the University, congratulated the students for having the courage and conviction to march against climate change, imploring them to be the ones to solve the massive issue before them.

“Think of yourselves as the people who are changing the patterns, which are due to trends for which you are not responsible, but which you will inherit. We’re counting on you to do that for us.”

Stephen Gethins, MP for North East Fife, spoke of his work on the all-party Parliamentary Climate Change Group and declared that climate change “has to be the number one political priority now.”

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The University have confirmed that during the graduation period next winter, Younger Hall will be completely closed due to refurbishments and 2020 graduation ceremonies will alternatively be held at the Sports Centre.

According to a University spokesperson, the ongoing construction at Younger Hall will provide the University with a “refurbishes, compliant, modern and usable building,supporting the University Strategy 2018-2023.”

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Features Page 16

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26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

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THE SAINT EDITORIAL

VieWPOINT

How do we make the most efficient climate change?

Features

Photos

EVENTS

Arts and culture Page 23

SPORT

First of all, as this is The Saint’s first editorial of the year, we would like to begin by welcoming everyone to St Andrews, whether you’re a first year or returning student. We hope you enjoy your time in St Andrews and all that this town has to offer.

In the first week of classes, students demonstrated the unity of the St Andrews town and strength of political demonstrations when over 1,200 people, ranging from students and Fife schoolchildren to councillors and faculty, drew a line in the sand for climate change at East Sands, joining thousands of protests around the globe.

Whether you agreed with the demonstration or not, it was a sight to see so many gathered to support the same cause, particularly when many classes were still in session.

On the note of support, the protest on Friday not only attracted students, but Fife councillors joined to speak on the importance of climate change activism, and even Principal Sally Mapstone emailed the University body to confirm her support and encourage a moment of silence in classes while others gathered to chant

around town and on the beach.

While The Saint supports student protest, as we are a proponent of free speech and free expression ourselves, it is important to take a step back from the madness and ask ourselves whether the action we are taking in St Andrews is meaningful.

Students are currently demanding that the University declare a climate emergency, with 1,000 signatures already on an online petition.

However, is a declaration of a climate emergency by a university on the Fife coast anything more than a nice gesture?

There are plenty of actions that students and the University could take to contribute more significantly to the ongoing climate crisis, including but not limited to the sustainability and food waste issues in University catering, an improvement in St Andrews recycling, and, on a larger scale, issues regarding carbon emissions and environmental impact by University buildings and town establishments.

Plenty of societies are working on tackling these issues, and they should be supported by the University and Students’ Association more to draw

attention to their causes and encourage participation in sustainable activities.

These range from Sustainable Fashion St Andrews to StAnd Reuse, the Environment Subcommittee and even Amnesty International.

Of course, it is important to note that any action is better than no action when working to limit your carbon footprint, but those striking for climate change in St Andrews should be thoughtful when it comes to how the town and University can best contribute to the cause. After all, who’s to say that the University will do anything to reduce its environmental impacts if it does declare a climate emergency?

This issue tackles a range of articles on the topic of climate change and sustainability, from our front-page story on the strike itself to the Devil’s Advocate on Extinction Rebellion, and even articles on sustainability in fashion and food.

As always, if you would like to share your opinions on any of the articles in this issue, climate-related or not, submit a Letter to the Editor by emailing editor@thesaint-online.com, or consider writing for The Saint.

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The works will fully refurbish the property, maintaining and enhancing existing uses as a venue for graduation, cultural and music events as well as developing the space for teaching and conferencing.”

The works will fully refurbish the property

The second phase of construction will begin in July 2020 These repairs are currently being carried out whilst the building in still in use.

The winter 2019 graduation ceremonies are still set to take place in Younger Hall, however following these the music department will be expected to decant to the Laidlaw Music Centre to allow advanced works on the interior of the hall to commence.

These works include window replacement, asbestos removal and mechanical and electrical strip out

works.

This initial phase of the construction is set to be completed by May 2020 to allow summer graduation ceremonies to take place in the hall.

The University claims that these “behind the scenes” works will not be visible at the summer 2020 graduation ceremonies.

After summer graduation, the second phase of construction is intended to begin in July 2020.

This involves full refurbishment of the interior of Younger Hall, including the installation of several lifts and the construction of an extension to the west elevation.

Not set to be completed until May 2021, the building will be fully closed during this phase and therefore the 2020 winter graduation ceremonies are set to be held in the Sports Centre.

However, those students graduating in the summer of 2021 are promised to have their ceremonies held in Younger Hall.

Regarding the refurbishments, a University spokesperson said, “The Younger Hall refurbishment project will enhance the building user experience, increase the use of the building as an educational hub and will include a five hundred seat lecture theatre as well as five teaching spaces and a conference space.”

Photo: Henry Memmott

As a means of limiting disruption to the University’s daily operations, the work has been divided into two “phases.”

The first “phase” of the construction will address the building fabric

of the hall, including stone repair and replacement, roof repairs and exterior metalwork repairs.

China, with protestors demanding democratic reform and a protection of freedoms not seen in mainland China.

Explaining his decision to cancel his fast-approaching study abroad session, Mr Brunner told The Saint, “On the morning of August 12, I was returning to my family’s rental beach house after a morning ocean kayak fishing session. As I walked through the front door, the silence of my tip toes, was interrupted by the sound of the T.V. I had forgotten to turn off the

“My flight was set for less than a few days” night before.

“On the TV was breaking news that the Hong Kong protesters had gathered at the airport and reports of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) buildup in the bordering Shenzhen area. I think this was the moment where I decided to terminate my study abroad for this fall semester.”

While Mr Brunner remained optimistic throughout the summer as he closely monitored the situation and subscribed to the UK’s Hong Kong travel advisory network, he ultimately decided against travelling to Hong Kong for the next few months.

He said, “My flight was set for less than a few days, and while the University of Hong Kong was kind to offer shuttle services to and from the airport for study abroad students in light of the airport protests, I did not feel the conditions were safe enough

Protests in Hong Kong are still ongoing for my travel to Hong Kong, and subsequent study abroad.”

Mr Brunner noted he was grateful to the University of Hong Kong for the opportunity to study abroad, as well as the St Andrews Study Abroad team for quickly allocating him an alternative placement in Singapore for the spring 2020 semester.

Mr Brunner added, “I am content with my choice, although I have made a promise to myself that I will travel to Hong Kong in the future.”

Study abroad opportunities at the University of Hong Kong are normally available to students studying art history, biology, chemistry, comparative literature, computer science, economics and finance, geography, sustainable development, physics and astronomy, and international relations.

Typically, there are four semester places, or two full-year places, for students on the IR Abroad programme at the University of Hong Kong, as well as four semester or two full-year places for students on the St Andrews Abroad programme. However, it is not known if other students have been affected by the political protests in Hong Kong.

Protests in Hong Kong are still ongoing, although airport travel has not been severely affected since late August, when all flights were grounded at Hong Kong International Airport due to the severity of the demonstrations.

Safety concerns due to protests in Hong Kong lead to student cancelling semester abroad days before flight ANNIE SMITH

Editor-in-Chief

Last month, third year student Alexander Brunner announced that

he was terminating his study abroad in Hong Kong this semester due to the political unrest and safety concerns.

Mr Brunner, who is studying International Relations at the University of St Andrews, opted out of his study abroad for the fall 2019

semester at Hong Kong University in exchange for the National University of Singapore for the spring 2020 semester.

The protests in Hong Kong began in June after plans to allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland

Photo: Voice Of America

St Andrews student terminates study abroad due to political unrest

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

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The assembled protesters roared with approval at the speakers’ declarations of the importance of fighting climate change and taking political action against environmental changes.

The protesters then observed a five-minute period of silence as they formed a seemingly-infinite wall stretching down the shore. Side by side, they stood facing the rising sea, reflecting on the threat the world faces and their own responsibility in stopping it.

There was no face of the protest.

Rather, it was made up of the widest variety of concerned citizens: middle-aged activists toting cribs and colorful signs, college students marching three-across with classmates and young children fighting for their own future.

The public would not stand for inaction They came for many reasons. An elderly couple The Saint spoke to talked about wanting to guarantee a safer, healthier future for their two small grandchildren, one of whom carried a cardboard sign reading

“Save our Planet.”

Others talked about showing leading political figures that the public would not stand for inaction in the face of an impending climate catastrophe. Yet, others talked about feeling a sense of responsibility, a duty to future generations and to the world itself to fight against practices that threaten to harm it.

Nicholas Podell, a first-year student marching in the strike, told The Saint, “Someday, I will have to look at my child, my grandchild and I don’t want to have them tell me, “You knew, and you did nothing.”

Student leaders hope that the strike has furthered efforts to convince the University to declare a climate emergency, which Climate Action leaders see as a potential “big step forwards for community environmentalism.”

Photo: Charlotte Caldwell

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Threading the needle with Noemie Jouas

St Andrews student entrepreneur starts sustainable fashion business News Editor

Noemie Jouas, a third-year student studying Management at the University of St Andrews, received her first sewing machine when she was sixteen and immediately started sewing as a hobby.

Since then, five years have passed and Ms Jouas hasn’t stopped sewing, creating countless garments to wear for herself.

“I had to figure it out all on my own” This passion for sewing led to the founding of Noé Dresses, a business that designs and creates customised dresses for students in St Andrews and around the world.

The business began solely from Ms Jouas’ devotion to creating garments.

Earnestly, she told The Saint, “I’d love to say that my business emerged from noticing a gap in the market and wanting to make a large profit from it, but I simply love creating fashion pieces.”

The past year has been a busy one for Ms Jouas. In between her second and third year at St Andrews, the young entrepreneur attended the School of Fashion Design at Boston, which she “loved every minute of.”

She also continued to make costumes for theatre shows and took on her very first client.

Ms Jouas told The Saint some of the difficulties she has faced since establishing Noé Dresses, such as ‘ridiculously high’ overhead costs and

overwhelming admin work.

“Starting a business isn’t easy, to say the least. Since I am starting off alone as a small business, I’m nowhere near making a profit on a monthly basis. I think a lot of people say this when working on bigger projects, but there’s a lot of admin work.”

These trialling elements of entrepreneurship serve as a testament to Ms Jouas’ love of creating garments.

She explained that her website alone took her a couple of weeks to build and that each post on her Instagram page takes hours to put together.

Ms Jouas also lamented the difficulties she faces emerging on the fashion market not only as a sole trader, but as part of a minority, being a student entrepreneur.

“I aim to be as professional as possible but its difficult doing it all alone. I truly wish there was someone who had done something similar who I could go to for advice, but I didn’t know anyone like that, so I had to figure it out all on my own.”

Ms Jouas hopes that she can act as someone who can share advice and guidance for other students and young people who want to start their own businesses.

One of the issues that Ms Jouas is trying to combat with her business is that of fast fashion.

She said, “When talking about sustainability, there’s a lot of talk about cutting down on meat consumption, using less plastic and consuming dairy alternatives, but I think that fast fashion is often absent in this conversation.

“The majority of dresses I’ve made for myself over the past two years have been made of sustainable sources; curtains, table cloths and duvet covers that I find cheaply in charity shops.”

Ms Jouas gave some examples of how her garments are made with sustainability in mind and explained that her recent Marilyn Monroe dress (pictured) was made from Morrisons bedsheets she found at a second-hand shop.

The outfit Ms Jouas wore to Starfields, a St Andrews festival-style

event which took place at the end of Freshers’ Week, was made from onepound bedsheets from Marks and Spencers that she found at a thrift sale.

“These cheaper and more sustainable options are definitely something I am going to encourage my customers to take on as well.”

Known for its abundance of fashion enterprises, business opportunities in St. Andrews have come Ms Jouas’ way this year.

She hopes these projects will boost her exposure and attract more cus-

Ms Jouas will try to combat fast fashion tomers to her business.

“During this academic year, I’ve got the incredible opportunity to work with a fashion show in St Andrews.

It’s the first time I’ll be working with a bigger group and thus have less control of what I do.”

Accustomed to working solo, Ms Jouas reflects on the experience of joining a larger enterprise.

“I was a little nervous at first, but it’s nice working for a structured organisation, being able to bounce ideas off others and feel validated by their approval. They have given me so much creative freedom and this will also give me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and design garments that I wouldn’t have on my own. To say I’m excited to start working on this is an understatement.”

As well as being a full-time student and entrepreneur, Ms Jouas also juggles the demanding role of Costume Officer in Mermaids, the theatre and production initiative in St

Photo: Maria Dolontina

TAMARA MCWILLIAM

Andrews.

When asked how she balances making costumes for shows, university work and growing a business, Ms Jounas simply answered, “I don’t.”

She explained that she often must sacrifice seeing her friends for months on end, suffer sleepless nights or skip lectures as a means of getting her work done.

Ms Jouas offered three of her own goals in managing her time this year.

“Sleep enough and eat breakfast.

Basic advice but it’s the best I’ve ever got. Don’t work too hard to burn yourself out. Have a method of setting boundaries. I’ve limited my customers to two a month. On weeks that I know I have less university work, I can take on a couple more clients and on tougher months, I’ll only have two dresses to make. It’s definitely not a foolproof plan but I’m never going to find a perfect balance and I’m okay with that, I just need to keep trying.”

When further outlining her goals for Noè Dresses, Ms Jouas explained that she wants to show people that it is possible to be at university while simultaneously following your dreams.

She talked of the privilege students share when they attend a University where they can be educated yet have access to time and resources needed to achieve other aspirations.

“I think it’s important to take advantage of it. I think a lot about the strong women that break stereotypes and do incredible work in male-dominated industries. I really look up to them and hope that one day I can be someone like that too.”

Upon finishing the interview, Ms Jouas sincerely wished that sharing her experience as a student entrepreneur – embarking on an often taxing adventure doing what she loves – inspires other to “use what they have to step out of their comfort zone and achieve great things.”

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

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InFocus: Ruby Newsham, St Can-drews President Natalie Pereira talks with the head of St Andrews’ food bank initiative NATALIE PEREIRA

Deputy News Editor

In the midst of university indulgence, as the next Taste coffee is consumed or an overabundance of alcohol is left at a student party, can the reality be that St Andrews experiences food poverty?

For many students, it is easy to walk past the homeless people hunched on the floor on Market Street as they enter Tesco. It is even easier to not bear in mind the millions of UK citizens who are suffering from food poverty whilst doing the weekly shopping.

Some, of course, do take notice and do make a conscious effort to make a difference. One individual, Ruby Newsham, decided to become a part of the conversation.

Ms Newsham, a fourth year Arabic and French student, is the President of St Can-drews, an emerging society that established its roots last year. Prior to this role, Ms Newsham dedicated her time volunteering at Storehouse North-East Fife, the local foodbank. She sat down with The Saint to discuss the initiative a­ nd increase the awareness of the student population on the issue.

Summarising the concept of St Can-drews, Ms Newsham said, “The majority of our work involves carrying bags. The foodbank is about 20 minutes walk from town. We carry the bags from all of the student halls and from various student parties that we will arrange. We contact a lot of different societies and collaborate with them and try to encourage people to take collections at those events. We then collect them the next day and deliver them to the local foodbank. If we have enough items, we’ll volunteer weekly or twice a week.”

Ms Newsham’s responsibility extended beyond this when she entered the role of President last semester. As well as the managing of the day to day functioning of the committee, she intends to fully utilise this year for the developing of the society.

She explained, “A lot of my work this year is going to be building up collaborations with other societies who are willing to help. That’s where we will see consistent, regular donations. Especially sports committees that have events like sinners every week. If we can build up very strong relations with other societies who are willing to get involved – which many have been – it will have real longevity and a real lifespan.

“It’s the reason that we are actually looking for volunteers within halls at the moment. The more hands we have, the easier the job becomes with collections.”

Speaking of the road to her involvement with St Can-drews, Ms Newsham said, “I am president of St Can-drews, so I’ve filled in the big shoes of Jamie Rodney and Poppy Russell who set it all up to get the ground running. They set it up at the beginning of last year. They commit-

ted so many hours to it and it was just the two of them, but they did a lot considering the size that they were.

We are all incredibly grateful for their work.”

She continued, “Before St Candrews came along, most students, including myself had no idea there was a foodbank here. I think people hadn’t realised how bad the situation had got. People have a tendency to view St Andrews as a very wealthy place and that isn’t the case for a lot of people living here.”

Our volunteers are wonderful people “Now we have a much bigger committee, and that means that we have much more hands-on deck.

Especially towards the end of last semester when everyone was moving out, we were delivering regularly and we became one of the most consistent contributors to the foodbank, and we have no plans on slowing down on that.”

The initiative has been gradually increasing, and so with it the addressing of food poverty as a wider conversation. I asked Ms Newsham about the importance of having the conversation now and being actively involved.

She said, “I think in terms of why it’s important to get involved now, currently, is that it’s not going away any time soon. It has been getting worse and worse in the last year, according to the Trussell Trust, which is the main organisation which runs most of the foodbanks in the UK. The use of foodbanks in general has risen by

19 per cent in the last year, which is pretty astronomical.

“Now that there’s a society set up, there is an opportunity that you can actually get involved regularly. It’s much easier to get involved now.”

She continued, “For us, the more people who know about it, whether they help us directly or not, that’s more people who think when they go to Tesco, ‘maybe I could pick up an extra can for the collection in Tesco.’

The more people who see or hear about our collection boxes in halls, on a basic level, the more items we are going to get, which is our absolute priority.”

With gratitude, Ms Newsham praised the efforts of St Can-drews volunteers and long-standing representatives of the Foodbank, whom she has worked alongside since her involvement with the society.

She said, “Our volunteers are wonderful people. I love them all. They are all the most genuine, hard-working, and enthusiastic people I have met in a long time. They care about this issue as much as I do, and I am very thankful to current volunteers, general volunteers, and future volunteers. You really do keep us running.

“I am also thankful to Scott White, who is the manager of Storehouse and Jon Gardiner, a part-time worker there for the countless hours that they have put in to running the foodbank and making sure that things run smoothly.

“If people who want to get involved, especially if you are living in halls, the best way to get involved is via our Facebook page. It’s the most direct route.”

Interest in the cause first came to Ms Newsham when she began to engage with news coverage of the growing food poverty problem in the UK. “I had obviously been hearing a lot about foodbanks in the news.

It had become a topic that was being talked about quite regularly as of last year I would say, particularly as the problem has been growing recently.

“I think if I can remember rightly when I first became motivated to actually do something personally was when I was watching an old speech o f

Photo: Natalie Pereira

Mhairi Black in Parliament. She was the first politician who I’d heard talk about and condemn the hypocrisy within the government, of particularly members who would frequently praise foodbanks for their work in local communities; that can be quite frustrating to hear on the other end.

To us, foodbanks are a symptom of a failing welfare system which is the government’s responsibility.

“Hearing her so vehemently condemn that unwillingness or failure to help was the first time I realised that if I wanted to help, I was going to have to do it personally and physically in my local community.”

Although Ms Newsham has undertaken an influential role in the face of food poverty in this locality, she maintained that whilst it is a conversation for all, it is the responsibility of one body: the government.

“I think that it’s the government’s responsibility more than anyone’s. It becomes quite hard to leave that out of the conversation. The Trussell Trust said that 20 per cent of the reasons that people gave for coming to a foodbank was because of benefit changes, which is a pretty clear indication that policies in place are affecting the use of foodbanks negatively.

“I think it’s appalling and abhorrent that there’s any need for foodbanks anywhere within the UK. We are one of the richest countries in the world. I would much rather that St Can-drews didn’t have to exist.

I would much prefer that no foodbank had to exist, but apparently they do, and the need for that is only increasing.”

She continued, “In the meantime, whilst we work to try encourage the Government to take responsibility for what they should have already taken responsibility for, I think that the responsibility falls on people within their local communities who can afford to eat and who can afford to buy some extra donations during their weekly shop.”

Ms Newsham’s commitment to the cause is testament to her sentiment of enacting change whenever and wheresoever one can. Yet, unlike some activists, Ms Newsham did not have previous personal experiences with food poverty. Instead, she reflected upon the morals she grew up with and how they have transferred over to her life in St Andrews and her activism.

“I come from a tiny Scottish village called Achiltibuie. Growing up there, I saw day-in day-out how important it is to help out your neighbours and community. There was always someone you could call on. I was very much brought up with the idea that giving back to your community is expected. Well, that to me is natural.

“St Can-drews has really helped to reaffirm that. Within my studies, it has made me much more aware. So, I study Arabic, and at least among Arabic students we have a tendency to talk a lot about the refugee crisis and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and things like that. Doing things like St Can-drews has helped me remem-

ber the importance of putting a face to numbers and to very wide discussions that often forget about the people actually involved. And so, I think that if I was ever to go into that sort of work in the future – NGO work – this has been a fantastic reminder that I will probably carry through with me forever.”

With this encouragement, Ms Newsham not only regarded her degree in a new light, but was able to engage a wider discussion, and perhaps, more importantly, inspire action in those unaware of the issue. She said, “What I’ve noticed with my own family members is that as I’ve got involved and had more active conversations with them about foodbanks in the UK, they now regularly donate to the collection box at Tesco. Just doing that weekly makes such a difference.

It’s so important that people have this in their minds in their daily lives.”

The impact can be seen on a national persepective This, of course, undoubtedly has a tremendous impact on local levels.

Yet, their work transcends such a barrier and the impact can be seen on a national perspective.

Drawing on this, Ms Newsham said, “What we do at St Can-drews is local in that the items that we collect go directly to the local foodbank.

Where it becomes national is that students come to this town from all over the country, and when they go back home knowing the foodbank crisis, and knowing that there will be foodbanks in their own areas, they start to spread the word to their families and friends back home. That’s where we begin contributing nationally.

“Quite a few of the members in St Can-drews volunteered in foodbanks back home, and we’re hoping to encourage people who get involved with us or hear about us to keep the foodbanks in their communities in mind when they go back after the semester.” Furthermore, Ms Newsham expressed her optimism of the environmental benefits that can be linked between foodbanks and the reduction of food waste.

Notably, this is traced back to the end of the 2018/2019 academic year, when unconsumed food of leaving students was in abundance and donated to St Can-drews. The remarkable thing is that each week, in what seems a university of total indulgence, you can find a team of students carrying bags full of food in order to help others.

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University to offer scholarships for forced migrants St Andrews will provide eight scholarships for asylum seekers and refugees TAMARA MCWILLIAM

Photo: RASA

News Editor

Last week, RASA (Refugee Action St Andrews) shared via their Facebook page that the University of St Andrews now appears on the STAR (Student Action for Refugees’) list of scholarships for forced migrants.

Last year, RASA proposed a motion asking the University to change the status of asylum seekers applying to the University from “overseas” to “home”, as well as establish several scholarships to financially assist refugees and asylum seekers.

Previously, asylum seekers who applied to the University of St Andrews were classified as international students, meaning that forced migrants and refugees would have to pay tuition fees of at least £20,000 per academic year.

There were also previously no scholarships available to forcibly displaced people who applied to the University.

However, RASA have announced that from September 2020, asylum seekers will be classified as home students and there will be eight scholarships offered to refugees and asylum

seekers by the University.

Alongside 68 other higher education institutions in the UK, the University now appears on the list as offering fee waiver and maintenance scholarships to help those who have claimed asylum in the UK access higher education.

Asylum seekers will be classified as home students In their Facebook post, RASA commended University staff for their “tireless” contribution to the achievement, including University of St Andrews Refugee and Forced Migration Network. Among those mentioned was Tashi Tahir, former

Photo: University of St Andrews

Faculty dementia expert Dr Maggie Ellis shortlisted for £220,000 prize Dr Ellis announced as finalist in Converge 2019 TAMARA MCWILLIAM

News Editor

Dr Maggie Ellis, world-renowned dementia expert from the University of St Andrews, has been shortlisted as a finalist for Scotland’s leading entrepreneurial development programme for Higher Education.

Dr Ellis’ shortlisted project, Astellis, helps people with advanced dementia by offering a range of training programmes based on a non-verbal communication technique called Adaptive Interaction.

The project is shortlisted in the Converge 2019 Impact Challenge category.

Developed by Dr Ellis and co-founder Professor Arlene Astell, Adaptive Interaction has received worldwide recognition in both academic and care communities.

The technique was initially developed to facilitate communication between people who have profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Adaptive Interaction was devel-

oped as a means of helping family members engage with their loved ones whose dementia has reached the latter stages. Diagnosed individuals can often become non-verbal and more socially isolated as a result.

Diagnosed individuals can become socially isolated Dr Ellis and Professor Astell’s technique helps to reintroduce those with dementia back into the social world.

This non-verbal communication method builds on the fundamentals of communication, including mirroring,

turn-taking, sounds and movement.

Astellis works with people to develop a shared language between communication partners over time.

There is little involvement of speech during interactions and through observation and imitation, caregivers focus on learning the interaction of partner’s communicative repertoire.

This approach has been successfully applied to other clinical populations such as congenitally deaf-blind individuals and people with severe autism.

Dr Ellis works in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University and is a leading figure in the battle against Alzheimer’s.

She said, “My main career ambition is to improve the lives of people living with dementia, their friends, families and caregivers via translational research.”

The Converge Awards Final will take place at the V&A in Dundee this month, where academic entrepreneurs will go head-to-head in representing institutions from across the country.

President of RASA, who sought asylum in the UK with her mother in 2004 and graduated from St Andrews this past June.

Through the motion, the RASA committee were able to provide students with a voice that could be heard by the University.

They thanked all students who signed the Equal Access Petition last year to put the motion into practice.

The petition, which received over 700 signatures from University of St Andrews students, was in support of the Equal Access Campaign, run

by STAR and the National Union of Students (NUS).

The Equal Access Campaign seeks to open access to colleges and universities across the United Kingdom for refugees and forced migrants. It was also recently announced that the University was awarded Sanctuary Status by the City of Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary Status has also been awarded to ten other higher education institutes in the United Kingdom, such the University of Manchester and the University of Warwick. St Andrews now joins them “as a place where everyone feels safe, welcome and able to pursue their right to education.”

New security team introduced TAMARA MCWILLIAM

News Editor

The University recently shared that an ‘enhanced security service’ is now in operation on University grounds. The previous out-of-hours security team has now been replaced by a Security Response Team, who hope to provide incident reporting and emergency support service to all University staff, students and visitors twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

A combination of new recruits with existing staff, the Security Response Team will be visible and accessible around the University through night and day, according to the University.

The team’s core duties include patrolling the estate, monitoring car parks and dealing with parking issues, responding to alarm activations,

recording and responding to crimes and incidents that take place on the estate and monitoring the University CCTV system.

Out-of-hours access to other University services will also be provided by the team, such as Student Services and Estates Trades staff.

University Security Manager, Andy Edmonston said that the team will “provide support to anyone who requires it day or night, either through the provision of direct support or by contacting colleagues or external services on the person’s behalf.”

Maintaining that the team has not been set in motion to replace existing support structures across the University, such as the Warden service, Mr Edmonston urges students and staff to contact the team to report security-related incidents and crimes that take place on University property.

VIEWPOINT thesaint-online.com/viewpoint

Viewpoint Editor: Joe Waters Deputy Editors: Jurin K. Flores, Matt Leighton

viewpoint@thesaint-online.com

@thesaintonline

ROSANNA MARTIN Standing in the line waiting to fly to Seattle, I chatted to an English boy travelling to the US for the first time.

We joked about how rigorous border control might be. “You’re a straight, white, English-speaking man, you’ll waltz through,” I said. We both laughed. 10 hours later when we landed in the US, we queued for border control together – he was waved through with no problem, but I was not.

Writing this now in a London Pret, it’s almost as though I’ve never travelled to the US. The truth is that 36 hours in detention probably isn’t considered “travelling.” I had been planning my trip for six months, using Workaway to explore the Northwest whilst getting work experience. When the man at the border asked me the question, “What are you doing in the US?”, I answered honestly and was unconcerned.

Even when handed a red card and directed to a separate room, my arrogance was such that I wondered if everyone was directed through to this room. It didn’t actually occur to me that there was something wrong.

The room was very cold. It featured breezeblocks with a flickering strobe light and two men at a desk in the corner. There were signs on the wall prohibiting the use of phones, so I pulled out a book and started reading furiously, showing I was unfazed. I was supposed to be seeing As You Like it performed by the Seattle Shakespeare company and was prepared to be indignant if I missed it.

Most people who came in sat down and went on their phone.

Some guards warned them against it, and some seemed to take pleasure in confiscating their devices with a disapproving finger waggle. It felt like I was back at school.

My name was called, and I went up to the desk. He asked me how I was, and then dove into a torrent of questions. I answered as calmly as I could and looked him in the eye throughout. He wrote everything down, then asked me to go and retrieve my bag and await further instructions.

Now I was worried. How long would I be here for? Picking up my bag from the carousel, I was jealous of the people leaving scot-free. “Never mind!”, I thought. “You’ll only miss the play!”

After several hours, the officer I had been dealing with called my name and we went into a back room.

I had to raise my hand and swear an oath that I would not lie.

My anxiety levels skyrocketed as I

realised the possibility of having broken the law. He asked me about my family, my work, my relationships.

He was kind, but official, and I was nervous, but I wasn’t scared. I feel it’s important to make that clear.

So, there I was, alone in a country where rights that I had once taken for granted meant little. I heard nothing from the British Embassy, unlike what happens on TV. I might be sent home, or even worse, detained. After about two hours, a woman pops her head around. She seems kind and I spring up; I’m nearly crying now, probably as much out of exhaustion than anything else. She says they’re still deliberating about sending me home. She

36 hours in detention probably isn’t considered “travelling” brings me some grim food that I eat out of necessity. She checks in every 15 minutes with a kind word.

That night, about 12 hours since I landed, the lady comes in and tells me that she has news: I’m not entering the country. Great, home it is.

Knowledge is wonderful and at least I know I’m not going to be taken out and shot, although I didn’t want to spend a night detained. The lady leaves to check available flights.

I hear the conversation she has on the phone. “No flights out this evening.”

Great, detention it is.

I feel at this stage of the story it is necessary to check my privilege. The situation I was in was unpleasant, but I was treated with respect (far more than non- English-speaking detainees). And yes, I was heading home, but home for me is a loving family in a country I’m not afraid to return to. In many ways I was lottery-winning-level fortunate compared to some of the poor souls with me.

I was taken to the Northwest detention centre in Tacoma. The totally unexpected was happening: I, of all people, was in the back of a squad car.

The guard and I tried to chat, but we couldn’t hear each other through the glass. Looks like I wasn’t going to be

able to talk myself out of this one.

The detention centre was surrounded by barbed wire. I was frisked and, to my surprise, “dressed” in a uniform (like Orange is the New Black, except yellow).

The guards who dealt with me were a delight. I bantered with the female guard, asking them about their life and jobs. I made a joke about how one of them was a rookie when she cocked up my form, “Shut up you or you’ll be in with the murderers!” We laughed. Who doesn’t love a bit of gallows humour?

I smiled at a group of Hispanic women that were huddled in a cluster. As we passed them, some of them yelled after us: “Why is she so happy?” “She’s only here for one night.”

The unit was a bit like a hostel, with an armed guard. A woman approached to ask me if I spoke Spanish and I shook my head. She smiled and helped me make my bed. Another woman, tiny but with a big smile, introduced herself: “If you ever need anything, let me know,” she said.

A lot of women were chatting in big groups. The few that could speak English gathered around me. They asked why I was here.

“I’m only here for one night.” I said, and I felt guilty. Some of the women had been there for several months: arrested at work or separated from their children at the border.

I spoke with a Mexican woman who handed herself over to the authorities a few months back. She loved the US and had turned herself in with the hope that she would be processed quickly. She didn’t see anything unfair about this. I asked her what she thought it meant to be American, and

“I’m only here for one night,” I said, and I felt guilty she replied, “It’s the ‘land of the free, home of the brave.’”

I didn’t mention the irony of her saying that when she’d been incarcerated for several months.

I slept what little I could before waking and trying to process what had happened. I thought about how

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

What 36 hours in ICE detention taught me

this time yesterday I’d been a person assuming that I would never spend a night behind bars. In the morning, I was taken back to intake and put in a cell.

There was no doubt they succeeded in making the detaineess fear their power That cell was horrible. I counted the breezeblocks on the wall and sang songs to myself like I was Cool-hand Luke.

A different female guard took me to sign some paperwork. We walked past the men’s units and they gathered around the windows staring at us. Their looks were predatory.

I stared back defiantly but couldn’t help feeling shaken.

I asked the female guard if it bothered her when they ogled her. “You get used to it, though a few of them make my skin crawl.”

I was picked up and taken back to the airport by two guards. It was interesting watching people now that I wasn’t worrying about myself.

I thought a lot about how I felt

the guards treated people. I think the majority of them were kind, but there was no doubt that they succeeded in making the detainees fear their power.

About 36 hours since I first touched down, the officer who had detained me the day before took me down to check-in and escorted me onto the plane.

I shook his hand and apologised for the trouble. He smiled, “Don’t worry about it, come back soon.”

The cheek of him! ‘Come back soon?’

Really?

Flying home, I sat next to an Alaskan fisherman and told him what happened. He was staggered. “You know that never would have happened four years ago.”

I thought about that for a while. I don’t know if it’s right - obviously I can’t comment having not travelled to the States previously - but it made me think about the expectations that us Brits have when we travel.

For the past few years I’ve travelled and worked across Europe, and it never occurred to me that it is possible to be unwelcome somewhere, but that is exactly what you assume. This experience has been the antithesis of everything I thought that travelling should be.

Of course, the elephant in the room here is Brexit. I, nor anyone else, can claim to know how it might affect European travel, only that it will affect it. One thing we may have to get used to is the idea that “being British” isn’t a skeleton key anymore. Doors we are accustomed to finding open may soon see themselves locked. And, although my particular experience wasn’t Brexit-caused, it is an experience many might soon find themselves experiencing.

If you are affected by issues surrounding immigration or civil rights.

You can contact the American Civil Liberties Union at aclu.org or Student Services on 01334 462 720.

Theviews viewsexpressed expressedininViewpoint Viewpoint do do not not represent represent the the views views of of The The Saint Saint but The but are are individual individualopinions. opinions.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

9

Devil’s Advocate Jack Campbell Yes!

Matt Leighton No!

In our increasingly polarised world, there is one issue which can seemingly unite us all — or, at least, those of us with regard for scientific fact and the not-so-trivial matter of the continuation of our species: climate change.

With just about everyone who is anyone backing the cause, climate activism is very much en vogue. Last month, Greta Thunberg took this to the literal, making an appearance on the cover of British Vogue’s September issue, traditionally seen as the most important issue of the year.

In politics, too, positive moves have been made. In early May, the UK Parliament became the first national government to declare a climate emergency. This was followed a month later by a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, at an estimated cost of 1 to 2 per cent of 2050’s GDP. But for Extinction Rebellion, this promise is too little, too late. The group wants net carbon emissions cut to zero by 2025 — less than six years’ time. Comparing Greta Thunberg — the mild-mannered, soft-spoken, placard-wielding teenager — with Extinction Rebellion, you begin to see why the movement is not so popular: not just amongst the general public, but amongst climate activists, too.

Extinction Rebellion is crass and crude and many things beyond that. It has shown buttocks in the Commons, glued themselves to an array of buildings, and recently attempted to halt flights at Heathrow with drones. Civil disobedience is the name of the XR game, straight from the playbook of insurgents in Paris and Hong Kong, who have taken to the streets in the past months. The question remains whether it will cross the bridge from currently non-violent protests to the kinds seen in the aforementioned movements. Mao wrote that a “revolution is not a dinner party,” and Extinction Rebellion wants nothing less than a revolution.

Indeed, if your only exposure to the group was co-founder Roger Hallam, you could be excused for thinking them to be anti-capitalist, or even anarchist. His talk of “the elites” whose climate nonchalance will bring about “social collapse” is more doomsayer than realist, but it gets to the heart of the issue: society as we know it is at stake.

Any movement towards the two degrees maximum temperature increase, set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement, will require each and every one of us to fundamentally change our lifestyle habits. And so on the question of whether the group is good for society, look to 2050: the time when the UK’s net carbon emissions should be zero. Should protests stop and life go on as normal — habits unchanged — I do not believe that target will be met. Carbon emissions have increased 4.3 per cent in the past two years alone.

enjoy because growth might be bad for the climate.

Extinction Rebellion and Greta Thunberg are hell-bent on policies which are not only incredibly impractical but may even be totally impossible.

For example, the current government emissions target is to reach net-zero by 2050, one of the most ambitious aims in world politics. This is estimated to cost over £1 trillion to achieve, and will involve such measures as banning all non-electric cars.

Essentially, these are not conservative proposals, but instead incredibly radical, while achievable. XR on the other hand insist on net-zero emissions by 2025; how much this would cost, no-one knows. How it would be done? No-one knows, because it simply is not possible unless we decided tomorrow to tear down every building and return to nature.

However, the most egregious flaw with Extinction Rebellion is their hatred of any science and technology which does not fit their mantras. It is almost as if these people do not want real solutions. For example, on the Extinction Rebellion website, it explicitly states that carbon-capture technology does not, and can never, exist, and as such should not ever be pursued. They even denounce nuclear power as ‘unclean’, despite the fact that it emits almost no carbon dioxide.

Most egregiously however, Greta Thunberg and XR are supporters of the ‘Green New Deal’, an American piece of legislation which calls for the ‘elimination of all farting cows’.

Sure, livestock farming does contribute massively to the global carbon footprint, but the solution isn’t just to murder all cows and declare that Sunday roasts are now dangerous contraband. This would be akin to declaring that diesel cars pollute the air too much, and so must be cast into the sea and replaced with horses.

We put a man on the moon, split the atom and invented the Jaffa Cake, and I therefore refuse to believe that we will be wiped out by flatulent cattle.

The answer to this issue, as is the answer to climate change in general, is technology.

Indeed, the University of California recently discovered that by adding small amounts of seaweed to animal feed, methane emissions from cattle could be cut by up to 99 per cent.

So shake your head at those who insist that we all become vegans and wear shirts made from hemp, because guilt-free meat is back on the menu.

In essence, Extinction Rebellion activists are a bunch of middle-class indulgent wastrels with too much time on their hands and without the sense to actually research the topic they care so much about.

The real solution to climate change will be found in a laboratory and produced in a factory. It certainly doesn’t involve glueing yourself to a train.

Is Extinction Rebellion helpful for our society?

“The

movement is rebelling against the extinction of our species

“

“Extinction

Rebellion activists are a bunch of middle-class indulgent wastrels

“

The problem lies in incentives, personal and global. The West — where technology is developed and life is good — may be committed to cutting carbon emissions, but the story is different for developing economies. Emerging markets around the world are going through their own industrial revolutions, and they are prepared to pollute regardless of the impact.

From an economic standpoint it makes sense for them, and developed nations like ours could not expect these countries to hamper their own economic development when the issue at hand is primarily our fault. The UK did, after all, create the industrial revolution.

China is a good example of this.

It is the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, and under the Paris Agreement is expected to reach peak CO2 emissions by 2030. That means that for the next ten years, whilst other countries begin cutting emissions, China has free rein to continue to pollute at ever-increasing levels.

So, on the assumption that the 2050 target will not be met, Extinction Rebellion isn’t only good for society: it is necessary.

Its crass bravado is trivial when faced with the very real threat of the extinction of our species. Whether you agree with its admittedly questionable tactics or not, the message behind the madness speaks to an honourable cause we can all agree with.

The clue really is in the name. The movement is rebelling against the extinction of our species. It is as simple as that.

Extinction Rebellion is helpful to society from the simple perspective that if it weren’t to kick so hard up the backside of those in power, inaction on climate change would continue.

Inaction is complicity in a matter so large, and right now each and every one of us who is not taking to the streets or shouting at the top of our lungs or doing something — anything — to sound the alarm is complicit.

Over a thousand Extinction Rebellion protestors have been arrested thus far — doctors, students, and everyone in between. Arrests make news and news makes people listen.

In a world that is burning — where we are burning — Extinction Rebellion’s brashness is perhaps the best hope we have to shake ourselves awake from the climate catastrophe we are sleepwalking into.

Climate change is a very serious issue and requires a serious political approach. Extinction Rebellion is not that.

While their goals of stopping polar bears drowning and literally preventing the end of the world are noble indeed, their approach, media profile, and platform show XR to be a joke of an organisation. Rather than helping the public understand and support the steps necessary to fight global warming, Extinction Rebellion alienates most of the public and misinforms the rest.

Let’s start with the tactics used by XR. Most successful lobbying groups, whether it be the Gandhi’s Satyagraha or the American Civil Rights Movement, aimed to win public support by engaging with the people of the nation in a productive manner.

However, instead of campaigning in a calm, considered way, the intrepid members of Extinction Rebellion have decided to fly drones over Gatwick Airport, glue themselves to tube trains and lie down in the wine aisle of Waitrose.

Surprise surprise, it turns out that stopping people from going on holiday, delaying them from getting to work and generally being annoying doesn’t inspire support. At worst, Extinction Rebellion could be tainting the entire cause of climate activism by associating action against global warming with increasingly infuriating protests.

Aside from the questionable methods of XR, it is undeniable that the organisation is an entirely middle-classrun group with only middle-class concerns. For example, one of their main tenets is the end of what they call excessive economic growth. This brilliantly illustrates the privileged nature of most XR members. Sure, when you’re eating avocado toast and drinking Kombucha during your gap year in Indonesia, you might think that economic growth is needless, but try telling that to the billions of people living in undeveloped countries all over the world.

Economic growth means better living conditions, prospects for the future, and opportunity for so many people who are simply not well off enough that they can afford to spend time in prison protesting for the climate. I believe that it is fundamentally unfair to tell Brazil or India that their citizens are not allowed to attain the living standards which we in the UK

The views expressed The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent the viewsin of The Saint but are individual opinions.

10

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

Churchill Gowns: Robin Hood or robbing us?

The pros and cons of the controversial, alternative gown seller LAURA BEVERIDGE The University of St Andrews is known for many things: an idyllic coastal campus, its historic reputation as a world leader in education — and, are you aware that a prince studied here?

But perhaps one of the University’s most distinguishing features is its iconic red gown that adorns the backs of its undergraduates: the red gown that makes St Andrews the only university in Scotland where the gown is worn frequently in the twenty-first century and, moreover, the gown that makes St Andrews the object of envy (indeed, many an Oxfess contribution has been tinged with jealousy).

It was inevitable, then, that whilst scrolling through my phone, half watching Dragons’ Den, my attention was captured by the vibrant gown appearing upon the screen. The gown was on display as part of a presentation being given by two Cambridge grads.

Their business, known as Churchill Gowns, was looking for an investment of £60k in their company which sells university gowns, made from 100 per cent recycled materials, direct to consumer.

Does the name Churchill Gowns sound familiar to you? Of course it does, as at the beginning of the last academic year, the University sent out a series of notices warning students not to purchase Churchill’s “inferior” gowns. In emails from the Students’ Association (which undoubtedly will make the rounds again this semester), the student body was informed that: “It has been brought to the University’s attention that some students have bought red gowns from a

third party supplier, Churchill Gowns [...] Please note these gowns are not endorsed by the University.”

And the reason why the University is discouraging buying from third-party suppliers? According to the University, buying from third-parties “does not support the circular economy and community benefits our red gowns symbolise.”

Buying a gown from the University, in that case, supports St Andrews’ local economy, according to the Students’ Association email.

But just how circular really is this circular economy?

The official University shop charges a whopping £159 per undergraduate gown in comparison to the £89 price tag charged by Churchill Gowns.

But if purchasing from the University puts money back into the local community, as opposed to giving money to the London-based third-party supplier, our moral compasses should guide us to buck up and fork up the extra £70.

I wanted to check that the claims made by the University suggesting a boost to the local economy were accurate.

In doing so, I found a FOI request from 2017 that enquired about whether the University had entered into an exclusive contract with Ede & Ravenscroft, and what commission they received.

In response, the University stated that they can “confirm that as part of a public tender exercise, an award was made to Ede and Ravenscroft for academic dress hire.” As of commission rates, the University declined to disclose figures.

However, E&R’s commission rates

paid to the universities can, in some cases, be as high as 20 per cent per robe, allowing the universities to accrue thousands of pounds from the arrangement, alleged The Telegraph.

Buying from third parties “does not support ther circular economy” The apparent official supplier of St Andrews gowns was also accused

by The Telegraph of driving up graduation gown costs in “anti-competitive” business practices, stating: “Ede & Ravenscroft was the subject of a complaint to the market regulator for allegedly ‘eliminating’ and ‘deterring’ competition by entering into exclusive contracts with 109 universities across the country.”

It thus appears that the “community benefits” referenced in the Students’ Association email, may not be as local as suggested, considering

that E&R, like Churchill Gowns, is based in London.

In fact, it could appear that the University of St Andrews was willing to take more action than simply emailing its students to protect the business practices of E&R. In March of this year, the University took Churchill Gowns to court on the grounds that the company falsely suggested University endorsement.

A University spokesman stated that the court proceedings were being taken as “the action is necessary to protect the integrity of the official St Andrews gown, the university brand and the principle that gown sales help student support services.”

Whilst arguing from the opposite side, Oliver Adkins, Churchill Gowns’ UK managing director, retaliated, “Participation in these ancient traditions should not be reserved for those who can afford to pay a premium, and instead should be open to all.”

However, it must be noted that the circular economy referenced in the Students’ Association email may be referencing the selling of gowns between leaving and arriving students, a practice which the University actively endorses as a means of accessing official gowns at a less costly price.

Furthermore, the University responded to the criticisms raised by Churchill Gowns during the court proceedings, according to The Express, by stating that “while the red undergraduate gown is iconic within the town, there is no obligation to own a gown.”

It is also imperative to note that the commission received by the University is not merely some act of cold-hearted capitalism, but instead

a means to improve our student experience with the University, stating that the proceeds from new gowns sold in the University Shop flow to the Students’ Association as well as being used to support teaching and research.

When concluding, I would also like to make it clear that I neither agree nor disagree with the University’s practices, and that I myself followed the wishes of my univer-

The official supplier was accused of driving up gown costs sity and bought my gown through the official shop.

The aim of this article is to pose this question to you; perhaps you don’t mind forking out the extra money at the University Shop as the money earned on commission will benefit your student experience; or perhaps you believe that all suppliers, official or not, should use 100 per cent recycled materials in gown production.

Whatever your stance, the question whether we should purchase a Churchill Gown, like Churchill Gown’s itself, probably isn’t going to go away soon.

Is University catering as sustainable as it claims to be?

Jurin K. Flores Deputy Viewpoint Editor There is no argument that we have seen the life-threatening impacts of climate change over the past few years.

Food loss and waste in particular is an understated contributor to climate change. Understandably, most believe that since food waste degrades much faster than plastics, throwing away a plate of leftovers is really not that harmful to the environment. Unfortunately, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gases emitter — showing it to be a key pillar contributing to climate change. Therefore, reducing food waste, especially meat, must be done on a community-scale if we want more immediate improvements.

The University’s Sustainable Food Policy outlines policies aimed at “reducing food miles, food waste, and carbon footprint of our food.”

Since this is my third year in St Andrews, I wanted to see whether the

University has followed through with their new policies and made changes in their halls’ catering services to become more sustainable.

1. Food Waste Overall, it seems that compared to the past few years, the University has made numerous attempts to reduce food waste while also trying to satisfy the students’ needs in food variation and quality.

Trays that once carried several plates of salads, meat, and desserts have now transformed to one large plate to subconsciously nudge students to be more careful in the amount of food they collect and discourage leftovers. Halls are also separating their food waste in order to ensure that most of the waste are being composted instead of going straight to the landfill.

Nonetheless, the fact that there is still a lot of food waste being produced by the halls demonstrate that the catering service, Residential and Business Services (RBS), is still struggling to assess the amount of food that the students in each hall need. In order to satisfy the

quantity and variation of food for the students, RBS orders as much as possible; however, this excess food contributes to emissions as they use unnecessary capital and energy resources. Catered students may not grasp the amount of wasted food thrown away by halls, but a student working for RBS shares: “I can see a divide between students wanting all the options available while the chefs attempt to minimise the wasted food. The thought of giving away the waste food has crossed my mind — as it does with anyone on their first shift as they realise how much food is thrown away — but there appears to be laws against the redistribution of this food which is preposterous.”

It is important to highlight that the best solution for food waste is calling for the University and RBS to redistribute leftovers to townspeople (or those in need). However, their fear of being sued if the food gets someone sick prevents this change from happening. Therefore, policies should be put in place to protect RBS if the University truly wants St Andrews to “reduce their carbon foot-

print of our food.”

2. Vegetarian and Vegan Options Though halls have always had vegetarian and vegan options in previous years, the University’s policy states that they intend to “increase the sales of food from plant origin as an alternative to meat and dairy, focusing on the health, wellbeing and environmental benefits.”

Large sized halls, like DRA, still seem to maintain their menu of having two meat options, one vegetarian option and one vegan option, showing not much change from the catered students’ perspective.

On the other end, students in John Burnet Hall have noticed the increase in vegetarian and vegan options in comparison to the previous years, especially in the sandwich bar, revealing that RBS must be applauded for following through with the policies set by the University.

3. Bottles and Cups The University’s policy declares that they intend to “minimise the use of plastic water bottles on campus.” They seem to

follow through with this policy since, as of July 2019, the University has installed a glass bottling service and self-service water dispense units, allowing an estimated saving of 40,000 single-use plastic bottles of water. While plastic bottles of water are nowhere in sight in the halls’ cafeterias, the availability of paper cups is a criticism I hold against the RBS. A student working for RBS reveals: “For a year at my hall, they removed paper cups for teas and coffees, forcing students to bring in their own reusable mugs or to use the white mugs that are available; however, it seems that the paper cups have returned.”

It seems that RBS has followed the University’s new policies in striving for a more sustainable catering service, and for that they must be applauded.

Nevertheless, these improvements may be limiting due to RBS’ priority for students’ satisfaction, and therefore increased conversation with the students must be prioritized if we want to move towards sustainability as a community.

Theviews viewsexpressed expressedininViewpoint Viewpoint do not represent represent the the views views of of The Saint The Saintbut butare areindividual individualopinions. opinions.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

11

Photo: Public Domain Pictures

Upfront sport costs are unaffordable

The highs and lows of being a foreign au-pair ANNIE SMITH Editor-In-Chief

JOE WATERS Viewpoint Editor I don’t have the best memory, but one thing I do remember from the cacophony that was last year’s student elections, at the hall hustings, was each AU President candidate falling over each other to say that they wanted to make sport more inclusive.

Each, in turn, would rail against things such as dodgy initiations, cliquey committees and the overall image problem that some sports teams have in the student community.

What I found surprising was the seemingly complete lack of awareness, in my opinion, that any of the candidates showed regarding the astronomical upfront cost to join Saint Sport.

In fact, when I suggested something such as instalment plans to then-candidate, now-AU President Leah Allcock, the response was mild, suggesting that she would “consider” ideas such as that as well as similar ones.

I, personally, got the impression I was being palmed off.

The thing is, the cost for the gym membership isn’t that bad if you spread the cost out. If you’re in St Andrews nine months of the year (most students are), the £160 Fitness+ membership works out just over £17 per month. Now that is a reasonable monthly fee for the gym.

However, most gyms don’t expect you to pay the full whack upfront for the year.

This is with good reason, for if they did, their gyms would lay empty.

Most gyms don’t expect you to pay the full whack upfront

a lot for anyone who hasn’t got swagbags stuffed in their wardrobe. Worse still if you dare even take a shine to any sports clubs during Freshers’ Week.

This year I tried Rifle and Mountaineering and I quite like both. However, before I even get started with renting or buying any equipment, my Sports Centre bill has reached an eye-watering £230.

Again, not so much a problem if I could pay that bit-by-bit each month.

However when I see a quarter of my Student Loan for the term gone before I’ve even considered a Pablo (or a ‘Fablo’ if it’s a school night), it really does put me off a bit.

This, of course, brings me to my ultimate conclusion, that I, and many others, simply cannot afford the upfront cost of joining the Sports Centre.

It’s simply bizarre that Saints Sport doesn’t have an instalment plan available.

Now you could say that I could simply get the club access membership, but that still puts my bill at £140 with the clubs I want to join, not to mention that those two are two of the cheaper ones; and while that might be a drop in the bucket for some, it isn’t for many others – and certainly not those who Ms Allcock and others

are worried might be put off by initiations or how posh the golf team is.

We’re not put off by that; we’re put off by the fact you’ll take our maintenance loan away faster than an athletic sprinter. And that’s just not cricket.

It’s simply bizarre that Saints Sport doesn’t have an instalment plan available. No other gym in the country I’ve ran into insists on a year’s worth of membership paid upfront.

Frankly, there’s no reason not to have the option to pay in instalments.

If you want to make sure people pay and the Sports Centre is funded, ensure we are contracted to pay the monthly fee throughout the year.

Hell, even if it was £20 per month, putting the cost at £180 a year, it would be a lot easier to pay than to blow it all at once as it would allow students to better adjust their finances to accommodate the cost.

It would allow students to better adjust their finances This would mean that Saints Sport gets more money and students can pay their athletic fees easier, which is surely a win-win.

Of course, you can spread the cost somewhat by purchasing the semester memberships separately, which costs £171 in total, but why should you have to?

Again, no gym in the country in their right mind would charge so much, even in two goes, and even then with club membership costs, a student is still looking at about £150 in their first term to get active.

However, in typical St Andrews’ fashion, the AU have made paying the membership as unreasonable as possible.

And, unfortunately, the Saints Sport gym is the only shop in town, unless you fancy a bit of a trek to Dundee for your workout; now that gets me sweating just thinking about it.

And while £17 monthly is within the reach of many, £160 in one go is

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not represent do not the views of The opinions.

The views expressed in Viewpoint represent theSaint viewsbut of are Theindividual Saint but are individual opinions.

Photo: The Saint

As a Spanish student in St Andrews, I felt I had three options at the end of my second year: take a year out of my studies to do a work placement in Spain, study abroad for a semester in Spain, or figure out another way to improve my Spanish so I wasn’t the worst speaker in the class in my third year.

So, due to aprehension with saying Hasta luego to the Bubble for a year, I decided to go for option three and find my own path to get my Spanish skills on the same level of my peers.

This route was actually easier than I thought: with a free summer at my disposal, I made an account on Aupairworld.com, found a friendly family that was willing to host me, and before I knew it, I was jetting off to Madrid for five weeks to work as a nanny to two kids.

Within the first few days, I was hit harder than I expected by the language barrier that comes with accepting a paid job in a foreign country.

Whether you know the language or not, be prepared to struggle with the language on your arrival to any country that isn’t your native one. Even though I have studied Spanish in school since I was 13, I had never been in an environment where Spanish was being spoken all day, every day, by everyone around me.

However, though this can be overwhelming and leave you feeling insecure about your own abilities, try to stay positive and focus your energy on learning as much as you can about the language and culture. When I was forced to listen, speak, and understand Spanish for five weeks straight, I gradually felt my grasp of the language improve, even finding myself thinking and dreaming in Spanish. It may seem impossible at first, but over time, anyone in your shoes will begin to improve their understanding of a language when they are surrounded by it for a long period of time.

Another struggle of au-pairing is the loneliness factor. As much as I was trying to enjoy my experience in Spain, the adjustment to the lifestyle took longer than expected.

Surrounded mostly by strangers who didn’t speak my native language, I’m

not ashamed to say I cried myself to sleep the first few nights wondering whether I could survive the five weeks - but, then again, who wouldn’t? As liberating as solo travel and experiences like these can be, no one talks about the hard moments and the feeling of total isolation from your friends and family that you experience while you’re away.

For those entering similar situations or considering a solo travel adventure, I advise you to be kind to yourself as you settle in and prepare to be homesick. If you’re worried about this, set times before you go where you’ll call home or FaceTime your friends. By scheduling this with your loved ones in advance, you’ll not only have something to look forward to but you’ll also ensure that these check-in moments don’t get lost or forgotten about in the craziness of settling in to your new routine abroad.

To end on a positive note, I would like to note that despite the teary nights, the language barrier, and the absolute homesickness I felt most of the time, I wouldn’t change anything about my time in Spain.

As difficult as those five weeks may have been, I learned more about Spanish culture, food, and the language than I ever thought possible, I lucked out with the kindest host family I could’ve asked for, and I grew as a person and learned how to take care of myself when times get tough.

Now, I have beautiful stories to tell and memories to remember, and some all-star anecdotes I can use in a job interview. Plus, when else will I be able to drop all responsibilities and spend half the summer holiday working in a foreign country?

If you’re thinking about travelling to a new country on your own, working or studying abroad, or even just doing something that scares you, go for it and don’t look back.

Life is too short for the “what ifs”, and as University students, the time for us to take advantage of these crazy opportunities is running out.

Monthly payments have to be part of the inclusivity game plan

12

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

Why Dervish must be destroyed St Andrews deserves a better takeaway

I remember my first day in St Andrews with immense fondness. I was nervous to find out who shared my corridor. I was keen to see who shared my diverse interests of quizzes and crap TV. Most of all, I longed to drink alcoholic beverages and sample the new sweet delights of the famed Scottish chippy.

Luckily, Agnes Blackadder Hall (peace be upon her) had laid on all you could drink Aldi beer, accompanied by industrial quantities of Domino’s Pizza.

What better way to meet your future best man than slurping down 250mL bottles of Brasserie while wielding three slices of Meateor?

However, as us intrepid freshers tucked into the cheapest food and drink the hall had to offer, less than a mile away swelled a foul, insatiable beast. A beast hungry for our money.

For decades, students of all kinds, whether they be naïve freshers, idealistic semi-bejants or arrogant magistrands, have been prayed upon by a triumvirate of terror lurking in the dark mists beyond The Vic. Forget Bundy, Dahmer and Gacey; say hello to Courtyard, Dervish and Empire.

I know that I may be saying something quite outrageous here; many students have a loyalty to their kebabbery of choice that is akin to a mother defending her child. I have seen countless drunken arguments outside 601 at 2am that consist solely of shouting the words “Dervish!” or “Courtyard!” at each other until

an apparently satisfactory resolution is arrived upon. But did you know that both of these establishments are owned by the same person? So whether you buy a panini or a pizza, greasy fries or garlic bread, your money is tossed into the same soulless, bottomless pit.

Forget Bundy, Dahmer and Gacey; say hello to Courtyard, Dervish and Empire There is also the fact that the latenight food establishments are simply not value for money. A large kebab from Dervish will set you back £13.50, an astonishing sum for a meal which always makes me feel and smell like I’m going to die in the morning. Even a simple doner meat and chips costs as much as £6.50. Imagine the almost endless bounties of wonder that could be acquired from Aldi for such a cost!

There may be some respite every Friday when toastie bar opens its doors to serve dirt-cheap snacks and give away free stale bread. But why

do I have to sit there listening about the “message of Jesus” when I just want to line my Pablo-addled stomach?

There is also something quite un-St Andrews about the three kebab shops in town. One of my favourite things about where we live is that it is in so many ways profoundly unlike other universities. It’s unusual how small our town is.

The faded grandeur of the cathedral and the castle cast echoes back to a strange time when St Andrews was at the forefront of world religion and politics, something you just don’t get from the greyish red-brick universities dotted over the southern lands.

As a town of exceptions and differences, why are we settling for frankly average and uninteresting food establishments that could be found on almost any high street in the UK? Well my friends, we no longer have to settle for average. For our salvation hast descended unto Bell Street, and promises to deliver us to the promised land of flavour and sundry textures. I talk of course about Rocca Italian Deli.

To talk of Rocca is to talk of an institution, to talk of innovation, to talk of revelation. I never once thought I would want or need to buy salami from my phone at 1am, but it is now a necessary part of my life.

When the American founding fathers laid down the constitution of the United States of America, they had one guiding principle; that of freedom.

The ideal that every man may choose his own destiny is one that has echoed down through time, and has infused Rocca deli with the very spirit of the Bill of Rights.

Did you know that both Dervish and Courtyard are owned by the same person?

Just as it is an American’s right to free speech and to bear arms, it is now my right to order three kilograms of chorizo while other less enlightened beings queue up for their strips of reconstituted lamb just a few metres down Bell Street. It is my right as a proud citizen of St Andrews to eat Tiramisu in bed while steaming drunk. Comrades, it is my right to order coffee at 3am knowing full well I need to get up for a tutorial at 9am.

Whether it be price, food quality, atmosphere, wait times or the ease of stealing ham, Rocca knocks Dervish, Empire and Courtyard out of the park. There is now literally no reason for the trio of mediocrity to exist, except to serve the stupid and uninformed. Therefore, fellow students, I put it to you that we push this Bermuda Triangle of dreck into the sea where it belongs, and replace it with a glorious Rocca Empire, consuming all of Bell Street and beyond.

If we can put a man on the moon, we can put an Italian Deli in Dervish.

Photo: Harry Gunning

MATT LEIGHTON Deputy Viewpoint Editor

Where is our Reality TV Star?

LAURA BEVERIDGE To my own surprise, I must admit, the world has somehow survived almost an entire term of Trump in office (unless you’re reading this article in the midst of nuclear Armageddon).

However, as we approach 2020 — an election that Kanye West threw his hat into — I am growing less and less confident that a Democrat can win, and the world will once again be faced with a star of the small screen as leader of the free world.

Whilst Reagan tried turning politics into a Western, Trump has tried his best to turn it into reality TV. Since 2016, world politics has had all the scandal of Jersey Shore — and hasn’t it been entertaining to watch!

Finally, something to add some extra zest to an IR tutorial.

But it’s not just the US, is it? Other countries want in on the fun and excitement of a leader who says it how it is.

We want a president who can go on Pravda — whoops, I mean Fox — and entertain us!

Take Ukraine, for example. While some call Trump a clown, Ukraine elected an actual clown, comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, as president. And, more recently, rockstar Svyatoslav Vakarchuk entered into coalition talks with him.

Who wouldn’t choose a campaign consisting of gigs like Vakarchuk’s over one that focussed on such trivial issues as health care, housing, and education?

“We don’t want politicians” is a cry oft heard — and was specifically used as a major criticism of Hillary Clinton (“she’s been in Washington too long”). Yeah, screw experience!

These are the same people, I assume, who would yell, “Get away, foul fiend,” when a doctor approaches them if they need CPR. “Let that actor save me instead.”

Or maybe politics is the only vocation where this logic is applied, where

the less knowledge and experience someone has, the better.

This certainly seemed so during the 2016 presidential campaign where Trump’s distinct lack of knowhow was portrayed as a virtue — and the public ate it up. A tactic that many noted and subsequently used (bad luck, Jeremy Hunt).

Trump once stated in an interview “[sic] I can get this country moving again, Sean, because I’ve done it in business.”

Perfect. An innovative injection into government to shake up the swamp. Run the country like a business — profit over people.

This style of government seemed familiar to me.

I realised I had seen it before:

in the criminally underrated Idiocracy, a dystopian film set in a near-future USA, dominated by consumerism and anti-intellectualism. In this USA, Terry Crews, as President Dwayne Camacho, rules. Camacho is a porn and wrestling star turned president, the physical embodiment of entertainment colliding with politics.

I never expected Idiocracy to become prophetic, but Trump is Camacho — an entertainer turned president who so too has been slammed onto the canvas. So how about our own Camacho — “Piers

Photo: Gage Skidmore

Digestive Biscuit Morgan” sounds about right?

In this real life which so closely mirrors the small and big screens, I pose one question — are you not entertained?

Of course you are, because we have sent in the clowns.

They stand as heads of state as voters time and time again elect personality over policy.

But, unlike TV, politics doesn’t have an off-switch.

Currently, we are seeing the political stage being turned into a theatrical one, and while it is hard not to fight fire with fire, and reciprocate the name calling, we must remember that the effects of discourse degradation — one need look no further than the rise in hate crimes in the USA to the second-highest tally in nearly a decade.

However, as we live under the 20th Etonian Prime Minister, a TV star in 10 Downing Street may be the only way to attain a PM who attended somewhere else. Gemma Collins for PM, anyone?

Theviews viewsexpressed expressedininViewpoint Viewpoint do not represent the views views of of The The Saint The do not represent the Saintbut butare areindividual individualopinions. opinions.

FEATURES

Features Editor: Angus Neale Deputy Editor: Siobhan Ali

thesaint-online.com/features

@thesaintonline

The Brexit Society

Photo: The Brexit Society can’t call the Conservative Society Islamophobic because they have a problem with Islamophobia, you can’t call the Labour Society antisemitic because they’ve got a problem with antisemitism.” Mr Samuels compared Mr Farage’s actions with “Boris Johnson calling Muslim women ‘letterboxes’ or Jeremy Corbyn being a supporter of the IRA” (this final claim is contentious with Mr Corbyn denying supporting violence). “On balance,” Mr Samuels said, “when it comes to the Brexit issue, we [the society and the Party] are on the same course.”

“Why should

our existence make people sad or angry?

“

The wisdom teeth are out in the newly uncompromising world of university politics. Government and the highest courts of the land are dancing a stubborn constitutional, or maybe unconstitutional, tango. Parliament is in a state of ruin, the building now, according to a UNESCO report, a “tale of decay, disrepair, and dilapidation”; and, while the Palace of Westminster may be standing on the brink of catastrophic failure, it is the happenings inside the Commons which are far more unedifying, to the British people, than the condition of the edifice itself. In March and April, it seemed that if you wanted an extension, you should have gone to Theresa May, not your module convenor. However, the pace has since quickened. The Brexit Party took 31.6 per cent of the vote in the European Parliamentary elections, confirming their place in the mainstream political discourse. It seemed only time before the group would break onto the St Andrews political scene. The Saint spoke to Josh Samuels, president of the newly formed, Brexit Party affiliated, University of St Andrews Brexit Society (hereinafter referred to as the Brexit Society).

We began with the why. Within the changing political climate Mr Samuels noted “a hideous underrepresentation of Brexit views at a university level.” He believes that “the majority, if not the entirety, of the Conservative Society (STAUCA) is pro-Brexit” but criticises their failure to “take seriously” the cause. Mr Samuels stated, “I don’t want to call it a fight because I don’t want to make it sound too dramatic, but I’m going to call it the fight of having those views heard.” He also felt STAUCA “thrived as a society as being a hated society.” Mr Samuels feels the Brexit Society remedies these failures, though he wants it to be a group “that doesn’t just say things” but “does things.”

While the group is the Brexit Society by name, excluding the word “Party”, and in spite of an article in The Tab denying any official link, Mr Samuels stated that he “can’t stress any more [that they] are affiliated” with the nationwide party. He has spoken to “someone who works within the Brexit Party, considerably high up” who said that a “university society works well in the structure he is establishing in Scotland.” However, the countrywide party has not been short of controversy, such as Ann Widdecombe comparing the process of leaving the EU to the emancipation of slavery. When responding to Nigel Farage’s inflammatory “Breaking Point” poster during the referendum, Mr Samuels claimed, “You can’t equate the Brexit Society / the Brexit Party Society with the Brexit Party.

For the same reason, for example, you

When asked about the society’s plans, Mr Samuels was keen to bring the discussion towards his letter to the Principal. “That’s the first step we have to take, to say that we are not going to be tolerating people having these threatening messages towards us.” Mr Samuels, in his letter, claimed a post labelling the Brexit Society “racist scum,” suggesting they be “pelt[ed]” with “milkshake” was “an incitement of violence”. He stated, “to me it was not a case of whether there was any sincerity behind it.” He noted that, “It goes back to the thing of: if it was aimed at another minority, or society, or another marginalised member of society, it would not be accepted.” In his letter he also mentioned how fellow students “‘angry-reacted’ or ‘sad-reacted’” to his post on the

Class of 2022 Facebook group; when pressed, Mr Samuels stated that he thought “people focussed on that element far too much,” and that he was “just using that as background information” to “give the Principal an idea of how [they] are being treated as a society and how the rest of the university has acted and how they feel towards [them] as a society.” He concluded his answer by asking, “Why should our existence make people sad or angry? We haven’t threatened to hurt anybody; we’re not in any way hostile towards anybody.”

Mr Samuels cited a Crown Prosecution Service definition of terrorism in his accusation and copied the Jo Cox Foundation into his email.

The foundation was set up to advance the good causes championed

by Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered by a far-right sympathiser in the run up to the referendum. This has been criticised including in a letter by fellow student Manhattan MurphyBrown, who felt the comparison of a post on a “just for fun” Facebook page (St Andrews Crushes V) to terrorism to be disrespectful to the victims of “large-scale violence”; moreover, he saw the copying of the letter to the Jo Cox foundation “troubling.” Mr Murphy-Brown also noted a Facebook post the Brexit Society made thanking The Saint for covering the letter. Part of the post read, “It’s great we have been able to use The Saint as an outlet to further promote the society”; when asked Mr Samuels denied that it was publicity and claimed the post was made because they were happy that the “wider society” knew they were “acting on the pledges made in the video,” the society posted upon formation. Mr Samuels dismissed the letter saying, “It was a ridiculous letter.” He continued, “He just basically said I’m angry at you for reasons that have nothing to do with the letter you wrote to the Principal.” He added that Mr Murphy-Brown may have used it

for political gain stating, “there was a Crushes post that said he had run for a Union committee position so maybe he was using it to get some support for that.” Or finally, “perhaps to indulge his own ego, I don’t know. Because if you start attacking the most unpopular society at university, you’re going to get people to support you.”

When asked about why he thought the Brexit Society received such an acrimonious welcome onto the St Andrews political scene, he expressed, “I think it’s fashionable socially to hate people that support Brexit. It’s quite fashionable to dislike Donald Trump. So, I think people quite enjoyed jumping on that bandwagon.”

Mr Samuels stressed the open nature of the society, saying, “It’s about Brexit but, by the same token, it’s also about a wider issue of equality on every level, and not just the level that people see fit.” He says the group is “very inclusive” and noted how they have “introduced an inclusivity representative” and that they have “at no point said to anybody they aren’t allowed to join.” They intend to co-host a debate with the Remain group Our Future Our Choice (OFOC) and are “opening up their society to a broad set of other views. We are allowing our views to be scrutinised.”

Mr Samuels summed up his aim for a constructive and inclusive discourse saying, “It’s about generating a positive debate around Brexit.” However, much of the society’s Facebook activity has revolved around posting rightwing memes. Other political society Facebook pages are used to disseminate event details and party news.

When asked whether this was in fact polarising and not conducive to debate, he contested that “I don’t think you necessarily use a Facebook page as a beacon of political discourse. I don’t think anyone is going onto our Facebook page to read 3,000-word journalistic articles about Brexit.”

One post labels “lefty[s]”, another depicts Conservative rebels as snakes, while one lists the rebels as a “wall of shame.” When pushed about the post “When a lefty has called you every name under the sun but now has to make an actual argument”, followed

by Ian Beale from EastEnders saying, “I’ve got nothing left”, Mr Samuels responded, “I discussed that with my social media manager, and to the best of my knowledge there has been a neutral, less left-and-right stance.” He also stated that he believed “it was taken off,” but at the time of publishing it has yet to be. However, since that post a further one depicting a crying baby captioned “Leftism is the ideology of emotion over rationality” was posted, as well as one describing a remain MP as a “Remoaner”. Such a feed in that of other St Andrews’ mainstream political societies is unique to the Brexit Society. This is despite Mr Samuels claiming to “respect other views” and him being a proponent of “positive

debate.”

The shape of Brexit remains unclear amid the current political turmoil. However, the finer details of each possible outcome are becoming crystallised. During the 2016 referendum, the Vote Leave campaign bus stated, “We send the EU £350m a week, let’s fund our NHS instead”, despite the £100m rebate the country receives and Mr Farage later disowning the notion of this Brexit dividend.

Liam Fox also claimed a free trade deal with the EU would be the “easiest thing in human history.” When asked whether this misinformation tarnished the legitimacy of the initial referendum, Mr Samuels responded that there was “misinformation on both sides” with some suggesting “financial Armageddon immediately after the Brexit result.” He asked, “Surely they cancel each other out?”

“It’s about

generating a positive debate about Brexit

“

ANGUS NEALE Features Editor

The next logical step for Mr Johnson is to make another attempt at calling a General Election; this is due to the feebleness of leading with a minority government. Mr Samuels claims that “essentially, it would be a proxy second referendum.” He feels that “the problem is that people who lost the first-time round wouldn’t accept losing a second time round.”

Moreover, Mr Samuels believes that “what’s more anti-democratic than Prorogation is trying to deny the will of the people.” However, when pressed on whether the actions of Parliament were to prevent a harmful no deal, he asked, “How many people that don’t want a no deal voted remain? I bet you most of them.”

Finally, we explored what is next for this newly emergent party. The European Parliamentary elections demonstrated discontent towards the Conservative and Labour parties.

According to Mr Samuels, “There is strength behind the alternative vote for Brexit. People weren’t believing in the Theresa May Conservative Party.”

He felt “the Brexit Party was the only one that’s actually outrightly saying we’re going to fight for the pure Brexit.” Nevertheless, over history we have seen single issue parties diminish in popularity. Mr Samuels agreed: “now Boris Johnson’s PM, I admit that I think that the honeymoon period has dwindled not slightly, but quite a bit.”

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

feATURES

15

“Is anyone here a doctor?”

“

“

I felt it necessary to go and offer help

“That much blood, it must have affected an artery,” my dad murmured.

I did not question his conclusion. The puddle steadily kept growing bigger.

It was not the bright red people would expect; rather it was an intense, dark red streaming from his calf. One of the boys was already on the phone, his voice rising with panic. The other one was pacing around looking at his injured friend, hands on his head in the typical “what just happened” position.

“I think I need to go help,” I said.

If it were a trivial injury, I would not bother interfering. However, this looked serious. As a third-year medical student, I felt it necessary to go and offer help. It was not the first time I had to deal with emergencies outside of medical school – I had worked as a lifeguard on one of the busiest beaches in Malta – but I had never dealt with proper arterial bleeding before. I paused at the realization, wondering what to do.

“Take this,” my dad said, passing me a clean towel. “I’ll join you outside. Avoid getting in direct contact with blood if you can,” he added, clearly thinking about blood-borne diseases. I nodded and raced off.

I fought my way through a small group of curious neighbors to get to the bench. The three guys turned out

“You could see wild panic in his eyes

“

“Whoa…” I heard my dad exclaim from the kitchen.

“You okay?” Alarmed, I raised my head from my pillow.

“I’m fine, but this guy isn’t,” came his reply.

Curious, I made the effort to get up and join him. My sister, having caught our conversation, did the same. The two of us saw our dad looking out the kitchen window.

We could see three guys standing on the opposite side of the street. Tall and gangly, they looked no older than 16 years old. Two were helping the third one onto a bench in front of the apartment block – he’d clearly injured his leg. The thing that caught our eye was the puddle of blood quickly forming under the bench. My sister gasped.

I remembered seeing one of the boys talking on the phone from our kitchen window. I asked when we expected the ambulance to come. A woman from the circling group of locals informed me that it would take an entire hour to get here. The peak of the summer season, a foreigner who spoke no Bulgarian, and who could not articulate the gravity of the situation — it was assumed the call was not a priority. There was only one ambulance available to the small town, and the majority of foreigners calling were tourists who simply drank too much

the night before.

The atmosphere of the scene grew heavy – the sheer anxiety sprawled across people’s faces was infectious.

Even worse, the injured boy was starting to drift in and out of consciousness — he was losing too much blood.

I dialed the emergency services again.

With the corner of my eye, I saw his friends making a do-it yourself tourniquet using a shoelace. As the operator answered, I could see my dad crossing the street, carrying something in his hand.

“

I could hear my pleas growing desperate

“

ALEXA BELCHEVA

to be Ukrainian and spoke no other languages. I tried to reach the injured boy, to wrap the towel around his leg, but his two friends barricaded the way.

“He needs to apply pressure to stop the bleeding,” I said in Bulgarian.

I demonstrated by throwing around my hands, hoping they would understand what I mean. They took the towel I offered but did not let me come any closer. They were naturally cautious of me. As they turned to their friend to wrap the towel around the wound, I grasped the full severity of the situation. My eyes widened at the sight – half the calf was hanging loose, the muscle torn deeply, bathed in red.

I thought I could see bone.

The injured boy, in an initial attempt to shrug off what had happened, had been sitting on the bench.

By now, he was laying, his leg raised.

He was trying so hard not to cry, but you could see wild panic in his eyes. The cigarette between his lips seemed almost ironic combined with the childish fear on his face; the futile hope that the nicotine would calm his nerves was written across his face. His friends wrapped the towel too loosely. Red flowers immediately bloomed on the white and yellow fabric.

I could hear my pleas growing desperate — they needed to apply pressure to minimise the blood loss. His two friends looked lost, their teenage minds fogged with the shock of their current reality, but they remained stoic in their roles as bodyguards. They would not let anyone close by. In a way, I could understand them – why take advice from nosy strangers who probably knew no better than them?

“What is your emergency?” a female voice inquired.

I tried to remember the SBAR format as much as possible. SBAR is a quick handover tool used by medics — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation.

“There is a 16-year-old boy with a serious injury to his calf. I am a medical student, and I suspect an artery is ruptured by the amount of blood lost. I did not see what happened. His friend phoned for help already; he was told that the ambulance would arrive in an hour. We need help immediately — the boy is losing consciousness.”

Wow. So much for medical school — that was probably the worst handover ever. My brain was not working properly —I could not stop replaying the dreadful sight of the wound in my head.

“We received the signal, but there was no mention of severe arterial bleeding. The ambulance will be on its way. Please wait while I connect you to a dispatcher over what actions you need to take next.” A happy-golucky tune started ringing in my ear, completely inappropriate to the situation. I scolded myself. A now unconscious teenager with a pool of blood beneath him, on the front of an upbeat melody – this is the type of material horror movies are made of. I glanced at the time —it was 17:52. At least 10 minutes had passed since the original incident. Ten more minutes until the ambulance would arrive, they had said. Each minute became more and more drawn out.

Within my peripheral vision, I could see the object my dad was carrying turned out to be a corkscrew.

It took me a moment to understand.

He must have seen the amateur tour-

niquet from the kitchen window.

He had approached the “bodyguards” and politely but assuredly pushed them away to get to the injured guy. Before the other two had realised what was happening, he had placed the corkscrew in the knot of the shoelace, and by turning the corkscrew, tightened the tourniquet.

The flow of blood slowed a little.

The dispatcher started talking in my ear, telling me to apply constant pressure to the wound. I kept talking to the Ukrainians, gesticulating wildly, repeating in every language I knew what they needed to do. They tried to tighten the soaked towel, but not merely enough.

Maybe it is because they didn’t understand me —or, more likely, because they were scared to touch the wound.

It was a delicate moment — I did not want to overstep any personal boundaries. For all they knew, I was yet another good Samaritan with intentions to help, but with little knowledge to do so. I was only a little older than them; what experience could I possibly have? I could understand they felt obliged to help their friend by fending off nosy people.

The language barrier did not help either. They had demonstrated they wanted my dad to back away too, and so he did.

The ambulance really did arrive 10 minutes later, at 18:02 on point, and placed the unconscious boy on a stretcher. Over the course of the evening, we made sense of what happened. Before then we were too busy to even consider trying to piece together events. Instead of opening the door of the apartment block using his hands, the boy had kicked it.

But it was an old door, and the glass ornaments had shattered where the boy had kicked it powerfully. Upon withdrawing his leg, jagged pieces of glass had cut through his calf, tearing through it.

It all happened so quickly. I hoped I helped, but I wondered whether I had reacted to the best of my abilities.

I found solace in the fact that my call made the ambulance come 50 minutes earlier.

My family reassured me I had done all in my power under the circumstances of the situation, but I could not help but feel guilty. Every couple of hours, I checked the local news for any word of the accident. I had never really believed the phrase, “no news is good news”, but I tried to stay positive.

No news appeared.

Illustration: Rachel Cripss

The story of an unconscious teenager with his calf hanging loose

16

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

FEATURES

“Have you got your Saintpass?” students can quickly make the cost of the card back. Saintpass is also a more extensive option as it encompasses retail outlets, experiences such as mini golf, transportation, beauty treatments, and more. At the end of the day, the objective is to give students the best discount possible for their own benefit, and putting students first is something that remains central to Saintpass’ mission.

For certain retailers, alternative student discounts schemes offer a greater discount than Saintpass (for example, Trespass offers 20 per cent through Unidays and 10 per cent through Saintpass). That being said, Saintpass offers greater discounts for other businesses (for example, it offers a 20 per cent discount in Mountain Warehouse while StudentBeans only offers 10 per cent). Obviously, in order to save as effectively as possible, students should sign up to multiple student discount schemes, of which Saintpass can make an important contribution. In addition to this, while many alternative student discount schemes such as Unidays are limited to national chains such as Zizis and Domino’s, Saintpass is catered specific to the St Andrews market. It offers discounts for cafés and shops unique to the town which are not covered by any other student discount scheme.

Saintpass sounds promising and offers great potential for making St Andrews more affordable. This is especially important in light of the pressure some people feel to go out and socialise, particularly as freshers.

The future for Saintpass seems bright as card holders can look forward to a greater variety of discounts, including early access to ticket sales for hugely popular sell-out events such as Welly Ball and BPM to more.

For those selling Saintpass, it is likely to be a profitable time.

The team behind Saintpass remains committed to offering students the best value for money and making social activities more accessible to all students.

Photo: Saintpass

offers discounts at over 50 local businesses

and pay their membership fees if they can receive better, or a greater variety, of discounts through their Saintpass.

Moreover, the selling tactics of Saintpass have been seen as agressive by many. Members of their team appeared accross town from the Union to the Sports Fayre. For the oblivious Fresher among their newfound friends, getting accosted by someone with a card reader makes for a challenging situation.

However, this seems unjustified as society membership is normally a result of a desire to participate in a society’s activities and be surrounded by like-minded peers, not the additional

to over 50 as of September, Saintpass is also committed to giving back to the local community. In the wake of the closure of several beloved local businesses such as the St Andrews Waffle Company and

Illustration: Rachel Cripps

Mammacitas, Saintpass supports the distinct restaurants that characterise St Andrews, allowing them to compete with the larger chains which are slowly permeating the town. For certain hotspots (such as Aikman’s Bar, for example, which does not have a website to advertise its company), Saintpass is a useful marketing tool and encourages students to try new restaurants and businesses. Hopefully this will help the town retain some of its cultural gems that are so central to its image and the experiences it offers students, locals and visitors alike.

Saintpass has come under considerable criticism over the last couple of weeks for allegedly undercutting student societies who also offer discounts at various eateries around town. It has been accused of de-incentivising society membership under the impression that students will no longer want to sign up to societies

perks such as discounts. For example, foodies are still just as likely to join the Fine Food and Dining Society in order to engage with other culinary geniuses and participate in various food-related activities, even though Saintpass is £5 cheaper than the society membership. Moreover, while many of the discounts offered by societies and Saintpass overlap, there are still several that Saintpass has yet to feature, allowing societies to maintain that edge.

Moreover, some societies require extremely high membership fees which may not be an affordable option for those looking for discounts.

For example, the Bute Medical Society requests a £30 membership fee in exchange for various discounts at Jannetta’s Gelateria, The Saint, VIC and Northpoint Café. Costing only a tenner, Saintpass is more feasible and through its various discounts,

“Trespass offers

20 per cent through Unidays and 10 per cent through Saintpass

“

The latest student entrepreneurial endeavour taking St Andrews by storm, Saintpass has been featured prominently throughout campus, on Facebook pages and Instagram adverts, outside the Student Union, or along the corridors of student halls.

The words which will ring in the ears for most, after the start of this semester, more than others will be, “Have you got your Saintpass?” In response to the various questions swirling around town, The Saint sat down with some of the minds behind the initiative to uncover exactly what Saintpass entails and how students can get involved.

From the business-savvy minds that introduced Student Storage to the Fife coastal town, Saintpass is a new addition aimed at helping cash-strapped students make the most of the St Andrews social scene. While entertainment and leisure in St Andrews carry a hefty price tag, the intention behind Saintpass is to alleviate the financial costs and allow students to socialise with their friends regardless of their personal circumstances. The initiative claims to be non-profit in the sense that any profits are invested back into the business for marketing, materials, offering a cut to the people selling the cards, and other costs.

Therefore, the team behind it doesn’t stand to personally gain from the business. For students who fancy making some spare change on the side, Saintpass also gives you £1 for every card that you recommend to a friend. In this way, they offer something in return to their customers.

Costing only £10 for a whole year, Saintpass offers discounts at over 50 local businesses around town from restaurants, dry cleaners and hair salons to gift shops, clothing stores and taxis. Whether treating

“Saintpass

“

SIOBHAN ALI Deputy Features Editor

a friend to a birthday meal, showing family around or just enjoying a takeaway after a long week, Saintpass is a versatile, must-have accessory for any student. From high end restaurants such as Forgan’s and The Doll’s House to fashion hubs such as Boutique No. 1, the breadth of discounts offered by the scheme is extensive. Saintpass also supports incoming and returning students moving into flats and student halls through discounts for various homeware outlets such as Cook Central and Hosies.

Having grown dramatically over the last couple of months from 14 local merchants at the start of the summer

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

“It is also

“

marked by tragedy and conflict

What promised to be a fun and educational thing to do in my summer proved to be so much more. I hope to be able to express why in this article. I also hope that the feelings NDCP gave

“Drinking

Keo and dancing the night away was a regular

Of course, it was not all so sombre. There was much fun to be had.

Drinking Keo and dancing the night away was a regular. I thought I knew how to party before, but it turns out I was just a yiayia from the horio because these people really know how to dance and sing and be absolutely joyous. Personal highlights include going to see UB40 and Greek superstar Antonis Remos in concert.

Bopping along, eating koubes and watching everyone Greek dance, I was in my element. Another wonderful moment was being woken up by a group of South Africans blaring house music at 5am to watch the sunrise. I was a bit befuddled, but it all made sense when I was sat on the bridge with everyone, watching the sun come up. Some of my favourite times though were the quiet moments: the hours on the coach chatting, the latenight walks to the periptero for ice cream. It was then that I got to know these people and find out how funny, clever, and kind they all are. Although we came from all over the world, I felt we had a shorthand.

We have a shared culture, a shared way that we’ve been brought up, and perhaps that’s why we all bonded so quickly. However, it is also down to our three lovely advisors.

Photo: Marianna Panteli

Photo: Marianna Panteli

Nearly a month ago today, I was sat feeling slightly nervous in Gatwick Airport. I was about to travel back to my motherland, Cyprus, to take part in a language and culture course with over 40 other young Cypriots from across the diaspora.

For three weeks, we lived and studied at the University of Cyprus in the capital of Nicosia. This experience came about because I was lucky enough to get a place on the NEPOMAK Discover Cyprus Programme (NDCP). NDCP is a course run by NEPOMAK who aim to connect young Cypriots. On NDCP, 43 of us were immersed in the language, culture and heritage of our homeland.

I applied for this course to improve my Greek, which is shamefully lacking, and to get the opportunity to see more of the country that holds such a strong place in my heart. I did not expect the experience I had to be so special, and yet this short time I spent in Cyprus felt quite important.

I went feeling a bit anxious to meet all these people and came back with a renewed sense of love for my country and strangers who had quickly become family.

me will resonate with any of you who balance more than one culture in your lives and have the fear that the one of your heritages may slip through your fingers without you quite noticing. (Note: To prevent this article being completely insufferable, I’ll try to reign in my sentimental tendencies.

However, being overly emotional does seem to be what us Greeks are good at, so maybe we could just call it embracing my culture.)

Monday through Thursday consisted of class from 9am until 2pm fuelled by frappes. On the first day, after writing my name in Greek on the test we were given and nothing else, I was unsurprisingly placed in the beginners’ language class. I quickly picked up the alphabet and found myself reading in Greek even if I didn’t know what I was reading.

Speaking was more challenging but now that I’ve got some basics down, I’m determined to keep it up.

History and culture classes were what I was most excited for. I feel pangs of longing, from time to time, to know more about Cyprus and understand its past properly. I got the impression that many others felt the same, especially when it came to the Turkish invasion. We covered a timeline of Cypriot history from the first permanent settlement in the Neolithic Age, through the hands of many empires, to its independence in 1960, the 1974 Turkish invasion, all the way up until today. This tiny island has been through a lot; it has a history that is rich with culture, commerce, literature, and development. It is also marked by tragedy and conflict. We spent a whole lesson on the 1974 invasion of Cyprus and the events that led up to it. I won’t discuss the history or politics itself because this article is too personal for things like that, and I still feel I need to be more educated to discuss it with any authority. I would encourage everyone and anyone to read about the Cyprus issue, as its ramifications continue today with Cyprus being the only country in the world that still has a divided capital.

17

Marianna, Pete, and Andrew made sure we were everywhere we needed to be at the right time, but they also made this trip fun and showed us so much kindness and patience (when we were late for the coach).

Fridays and weekends consisted of excursions. I had seen surprisingly little of Cyprus, having mainly stayed in the areas that my family are from.

Now, I feel like I could be a tour guide for Cyprus, although I could not be as delightful as our tour guide, Katie.

She accompanied our adventures around the island with all the information, stories and serenades (that’s right, our tour guide was a classically trained singer) that we could have wanted. My favourite destination of all these excursions was the Troodos mountains. As we headed towards the highest point in Cyprus, I noted the arid, dusty landscape gradually change to luscious green trees coating the mountainside. The beauty of the Cypriot mountains really did take my breath away, or it might have been the occasional moment I thought we were going to drive straight off the side of the winding roads that had next to no barriers! With the cooler temperature and abundance of nature, you could have told me we had been transported to another country completely. We ventured on to our final destination, the resting place of our first president, Archbishop Makarios, near the Kikkos Monastery. The artistry of the mosaics of the icons that form a circular path to the tomb itself seem to float among the 360-degree sea of green as the views span all across and down the mountains.

As our trip drew to a close, you could sense the sadness creep in as we knew we’d all be saying goodbye soon.

After our final exam, we headed off as a group onto a boat trip from Protoras set on for us by NEPOMAK. It was a blissful day, and as I sat there sipping my vodka pineapple, I thought how these few hours perfectly sum up why this trip had been so special. Looking out across the crystal sea and jagged rocky form of the Cypriot coastline rising from it, I realised that this trip had given me a wider perspective of my homeland. I had seen its beauty and troubles before, but for the first time, they had been stitched together in a full and comprehensive tapestry for me. Cyprus has a really mixed heritage (mainly due to it being taken over so many times). Given this, it is often tricky to place what our identity is. Add to the mix that we are now dispersed across the world and have

grown up in cultures very different to the Cypriot one, our identities can feel even more transient. I’m sure many fellow St Andrews students, being of such an international university, feel a similar way. NDCP gave me a chance to feel more connected to such a big part of who I am. Turning back to look in on the boat, I saw all these people I have come to love dancing, chatting, and eating. They are the other reason, the main reason, why this experience means so much. I felt such happiness spending three weeks with these people who share being Cypriot far away from Cyprus, and I feel proud to be part of a community with them.

Cyprus is lucky to have them as its global representatives.

“I feel so

fulfilled embracing my roots

“

MARIANNA PANTELI Deputy Arts & Culture Editor

It wasn’t just in the classroom that I felt my understanding grow.

Visiting the occupied North with my family for the first time gave me a personal view of the lasting effects of this division. Our group attended a talk at the community centre, Home for Cooperation, in the UN buffer zone in Nicosia.

They work towards encouraging intercommunal dialogue and cooperation. Listening to what they had to say and what my friends had to contribute brought out mixed feelings in me. I have a deeper comprehension of Cyprus’ situation now. I don’t just know the facts, but I know how these facts are affecting Cypriots, including my family. I also found these new rumblings of duty for my country combined with a frustration at the limitations of what I can do and a fear of the limits of what anyone can do to help Cyprus.

“

An Ode to My Homeland

feATURES

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. I didn’t know it at the time, but I really think I needed NDCP. The love and warmth I was shown by the friends I’ve made has made me want to live life up to the full. When stress and the mundane get me feeling stuck, I’ll think of them as examples of how to act to push through it.

I have come home with a greater understanding of the country of my heritage. I feel so fulfilled embracing my roots but also now feel a duty to be cognisant, educated and, if possible, involved in helping in the problems Cyprus continues to face.

I hope this article made for an enjoyable read and encourages you to reconnect with your own roots.

Finally, for any Cypriots reading this, apply to NDCP, and get involved with NEPOMAK and your local communities.

Greeklish Tranlations: Yiayia - Grandma Horio - village Preriptero - corner shop Koubes - Cypriot mince-meat croquette with bulgar outer shell

Photos thesaint-online.com/photos

Photography Editor: Samantha Chinomona Deputy Editors: Emily Silk @saint_photos

Event Spotlight: VS // Sitara

Photo: Josh Horan

Photo: Josh Horan

Versus Music and Sitara collaborated to enhance the urban scene and combined their themes in support of their respective fashion shows

Photo: Josh Horan

Photos

Photo: Josh Horan

Photo: Josh Horan

26 September 2019¡ thesaint-online.com 19

Events thesaint-online.com/events

Events Editor: Stella Gage Deputy Editors: Meg Dyson

@thesaintonline

Preview: Opening Ball

events@thesaint-online.com

What changes are being made? And why might they be for the better? this year want none of the magic to slip away from this wonderful event, so they have a few things they hope will help make up for this big change.

Some of the things you would have to look forward to at this event are free transport to and from the venue, complimentary food upon arrival, and the ball’s famous champagne reception.

This year there will also be two DJ tents that will be playing different

types of music throughout the night in order to cater to people’s various music tastes.

One of the biggest perks made possible by the change in venue is the increased amount of space that the committee has had to work with There will be more food trucks this year, providing options for everyone attending. The congestion that is normally caused by the coat checks at balls held in Lower College Lawn will

also be greatly improved with more space.

So, although there has been a pretty big change made to the normal workings of this event, the committee has managed to turn what could have been a big negative into an even bigger positive.

To find out more information about the event on Saturday 12 October and stay up to date, head on over and like the Opening Ball Facebook page.

Photo: Ampersand Media

“Opening Ball’s magic lies behind the fact that it is the first black-tie event for freshers and it introduces them to what will be four years of many balls and events,” notes Press Coordinator Isabela Almeida, perfectly summarizing what Opening Ball can and does mean to many first-year stu-

dents. Your first Opening Ball sticks with you because it is truly your introduction to the unique St Andrews event scene.

This year, the quintessential ball was forced to make a difficult decision and change their venue. Due to some construction that the university started straight after Starfields, the ball has had to give up its long-time location.

However, Ball Convenor Doug Wright and the rest of the committee

Photo: Ampersand Media

STELLA GAGE Events Editor

SITARA/VS Launch

The new and interesting fusion of two ‘Urban and Asian themed’ societies

Photo: Josh Horan

SIOBHAN ALI Deputy Events Editor As Freshers Week drew to a close, lectures were about to begin and deadlines became an imminent threat, VS and Sitara brought St Andrews a preview of the collaboration they will be undertaking this upcoming year. Launching their collaborative series and supporting their respective impending fashion shows, the geniuses behind both collectives fused their ‘Urban and Asian themes’ and identities to bring students a unique concept.

The event featured DJs such as local gem Maria Dolotina and up-andcoming star Nick Gelos, who kept the night alive with their incredible mixes. Shisha flowed freely outside on The Vic’s scenic terrace, offering an alternative and unprecedented twist to a Tuesday night out. Members of both committees mingled, representing the themes of Asian artistry and urban streetwear as well as offering a

holistic experience for event-goers.

At only £5 (or £60 for a 6-person sisha table), VS and Sitara offered an affordable night of entertainment without breaking student’s bank balances and sending them spiralling into their overdrafts. The value for money was incredible, as the shisha table costs worked out to only £10 per person for free-flowing shisha all night long.

The only snag in the night was that it coincided with a Szentek event and the town’s partying population was split in half.

In the future, there hopefully won’t be any more clashes and more people can enjoy the distinct events hosted by VS and Sitara.

Undoubtedly, students should look out for future VS and Sitara events as acts of synergy which will enhance the urban and Asian scene and bring something fresh and new to the town. In particular, look out for the annual Sitara fashion show and VS’ urban fashion show later this year. Model auditions will also be taking place in the coming weeks for catwalk enthusiasts to try their hand at.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

First Starfields Experience

Featuring an authentic festival vibe, complete with glitter, fluorescent outfits and copious amounts of alcohol, Starfields was undoubtedly an entertaining evening. As a first-timer, I was blown away by the distinct style of the event.

It kicked off at 4 pm, decked out with an inflatable pool filled with Balans Aqua Spritz, various festival-esque tents, including a large marquee on Lower College Lawn and Instagram-worthy murals and photoshoot hotspots.

This St Andrews Charity Fashion Show event served as a memorable night to freshers and returners alike.

Headlining the event was world-renowned Norwegian DJ Matoma, who was supported by featuring artists such as Riton, Crazy Cousinz and TIGRE & Friends, who brought the event to life and kept students hyped and excited for six hours.

While the price tag of £40 might have concerned students, this is on par with similar events in St Andrews and is justified by the extravagant attention to detail visible at the venue. Students could also enjoy various perks such as free pop sockets, glitter, and Aqua Spritz at the wristband collection, as well as 20 per cent off Rocca Paninis and free coffee from Combini Café for two days, which definitely lightened the financial burden of purchasing a ticket.

All in all, Starfields seems to be a must for every student to experience at least once during their time at St

STELLA GAGE Events Editor

5

Enterprise Week

Monday, Oct. 7th Head over to the Byre Theatre to participate in this informative keynote event.

It is an “opportunity to hear from entrepreneurs from accross the UK about their experiences and approaches.” This event is perfect for anyone interested in learning more about entrprenurship and connecting with others that want to do the same.

Andrews. It is indicative of the creative genius present in the town and reflects months of hard work and close attention to detail in order to bring together a sensational night unlike any other.

Third Starfields Experience

As a seasoned Starfields attendee, I didn’t think I could be particularly surprised by anything the committee would throw at me, but I was seriously mistaken.

It is interesting to read a first-timer’s experience of this year’s event because I believe Starfields this year was the most successful and well put-together it has ever been. With free gifts at ticket collection, great music, and a new-found focus on sustainability, the event’s team did a great job of one-upping themselves from previous years.

The highlight for myself, as well as others I have spoken to, was definitely the music.

In previous years, I had never seen so many people not only dancing in the DJ tent all at once, but also staying there for the entire night, a true testament to the high standard of musicians that the team brought this time around. Playing funky yet familiar tunes, the artists were truly able to keep the DJ tent full and lively at all times.

The only disappointing thing about the event for me was the lack of food vendors compared to previous years. But, perhaps this was due to the team’s staunch commitment towards only working with vendors that met the standards of their new sustainable ethos. And, if that had been the case, I think myself and other students can definitely get on board.

Overall, I can agree with Siobhan that Starfields is surely an event everyone should try to go to at least once in their time at St Andrews.

Especially if the team continue to improve the event from year to year, Starfields will certainly be hard to beat as one of the most popular events in the St Andrews events scene.

Photo: Harry Gunning

As one of the most highly anticipated nights of the year, Starfields is the culmination of Freshers Week at St Andrews. The event has enjoyed a long-standing history of being one of the most unique and enjoyable nights out, and this year was no exception.

In this review, we will be comparing the experiences of someone who had never attended Starfields with that of someone who had attended both of the two previous years.

Review: Starfields

21

Photo: Samantha Chinomona

SIOBHAN ALI & STELLA GAGE

Events

Top 5 Events This Week

4

Kathleen Jamie Book Launch

Monday, Sept. 30th In her newest volume, Surfacing, Kathleen completes a trio of books in which she writes with great detail about the natural world.

The author has a great love for the outdoors that shines through in her lyrical prose. This event will leave you longing to take a stroll down West Sands, just to feel the wind through your hair and the salty sea spray on your lips.

3

One Man, Two Guvnors

2

Coffee Tasting

1

Spontaneous Potter

Wednesday, Oct. 3rd

Wednesday, Oct. 2nd

Saturday, Oct. 5th

Take a short break from your studies and start the semester off right with some fantastic, outrageous comedy. In the synopsis, the crew says, “A ravenous geezer recently fired from his skiffle band gets embroiled in the Brighton gangster scene when he takes a job from two different Guv’nors.”

Zest is calling all coffee lovers! The lovely St Andrews coffee society will be hosting a coffee tasting workshop next week. If you would like to learn about the important and differences of roasting, you will be able to taste the differences youself at this event. This event will lead you to “appreciate your daily drink even more than you already do!”

“Grab your wands, don your house robes, and apparate yourselves to The Byre Theatre on October 5! A very magical improv show awaits...” Spotaneous Potter is an entirely improvised Harry Potter comedy play, based on the audience suggestions of a fanfiction title. For non- and Harry Potter fans alike, it is sure to be a magical evening.

Arts & Culture

Editors: Olivia Hendren and Annabel Steele

@saint_arts

arts@thesaint-online.com

Illustration: Rachel Cripps

thesaint-online.com/reviews

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Arts and culture

23

This year in film With the new semester starting, now seems as good a time as any to take stock of the year so far at the cinema – and to look ahead to what’s still to come. It’s been a dramatic year for film so far, to say the least. Green Book became one of the most controversial (and frankly baffling) Best Picture winners of recent years, overshadowing deserved wins for Spike Lee and Alfonso Cuaron. Avengers: Endgame managed to spectacularly jump a seemingly insurmountable hurdle of expectations to deliver the expected spectacle and fan-pleasing, but also a strong emotional core and moments of earned poignancy. The summer sparked interesting conversations about Hollywood’s playingit-safe nostalgic trajectory, as franchise plays like Dark Phoenix and Men In Black International flopped while Disney remakes Aladdin and The Lion King made big money without really exciting or inspiring anyone. Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood inspired widespread debate about whether or not it was good (it is, although it just misses greatness), too long (it’s not), or problematic (kind of, particularly in its confused ending).

Many of the years best so far, however, have been found away from the drama, a little off the beaten path. Few films this year have stayed with me quite like Claire Denis’s languid, dreamy sci-fi High Life, a woozy, thoughtful, and occasionally visceral exploration of base, irrational human drives featuring a possibly career-best Robert Pattinson performance. Similarly, no other film this year has presented quite so many enduring images as Birds of Passage, director Ciro Guerra’s saga about multiple generations of an indigenous Colombian Wayuu family who get involved with the drug trade. It’s a film of vast scope and haunting beauty, with a philosophical and visual grandeur worthy of The Godfather or Apocalypse N o w .

Two debut directors delivered astutely observed snapshots of contemporary coming-of-age this year, too, in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade and Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart. The former follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher, an astonishing discovery) over the course of the last week of middle school, with uncomfortable intimacy and overwhelming, painful but deeply moving empathy; it’s quite possibly the best film yet made about young people’s relationship to social media and certainly the most honest and nuanced. The latter updates the venerable one-crazy-night comedy tradition, following two hard-achieving high-school students (Lady Bird’s Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) as they try to finally cut loose on the last night before graduation; it has a refreshing frankness about gender politics and sexuality without ever once feeling self-congratulatory or reducing its characters to signifiers – it’s far too concerned with being consistently hilarious and visually inventive to fall into such traps.

A female coming-of-age story of a somewhat darker variety is at the heart of perhaps my personal favourite film of the year so far, Ari Aster’s Midsommar. A twisted fairy-tale with a beautiful sense for composition and a morbid sense of humour, it gradually sinks you into its dream-logic of its floral but nightmarish world, all building to the shocking, strangely cathartic finale. Florence Pugh gives an astonishingly harrowing performance as the American student who discovers something strange in the Swedish village she visits with her emotionally abusive boyfriend and his friends. Another of the year’s best performances so far is in another horror film – Lupita Nyong’o’s astounding, chilling dual role in Jordan Peele’s Us, a layered nightmare of a film that confirms Peele as one of the most exciting directors to emerge in recent times.

Closer to home, the British film in-

dustry went through something of a love affair with the jukebox musical over this last summer, serving up three would-be crowd-pleasers predicated in large part on the soul-stirring powers of mid-twentieth-century pop and rock icons. Rocketman rendered the life of Elton John as a highly subjective, expressionistic fantasia; it didn’t always work but its surreal flourishes (as well as its frankness about its subject’s sexuality) made it a potent antidote to Bohemian Rhapsody’s stuffy literalism, and Taron Egerton’s vulnerable, unguarded performance suggest the actor has greater depths than the likes of Kingsman have allowed him to show. Less flashy but similarly sincere was Blinded By The Light, director Gurinder Chadha’s (of Bhaji On The Beach and Bend It Like Beckham) adaptation of Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir, which details the experiences of a Pakistani teenager in 1980s Luton who finds unlikely identification with the music of Bruce Springsteen. It’s familiar stuff, but told with sincerity and commitment to cultural specificity, as well as a genuine understanding of Springsteen’s enduring appeal - and how art speaks to us in adolescence more generally. None of those attributes could be attributed to Yesterday, which saw the combined talents of Danny Boyle and Richard Curtis fall inexplicably flat telling the story of a singer-songwriter (Himish Patel) who one day finds himself as the only person who remembers The Beatles. With no sense of where to go with this premise beyond sketchshow-level set ups and a trite love story, the film lacks anything approaching a coherent idea about The Beatles specifically or popular music in general – and its ending, which features an act of historical revisionism more distasteful than anything that’s ever occurred to Tarantino, deserves to live in infamy. It’ll probably clean up at the BAFTAs. As we move into autumn and winter, there are plenty more films

to be excited about. Already among the most talked-about releases of the season is Joker, the revisionist origin story for the iconic Batman villain which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, directed by Todd Phillips and starring Joaquin Phoenix. Critics have been somewhat split on whether the film represents a bold new frontier for mainstream cinema or the reheating of tired old anti-hero clichés, but the concept of a comic-book film filtered through classic character studies like Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy is intriguing, and – as anyone who’s seen The Master and You Were Never Really Here can attest – Phoenix is perhaps better than any other living actor at exploring the extremes of madness and melancholy. Speaking of those 70s/80s classics, Martin Scorsese himself also returns this winter with The Irishman.

A return to the gangster-film milieu he single-handedly redefined, it stars Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino (playing characters over several decades through de-aging technology) in a dramatization of the life of hitman Frank Sheeran, and will be released through Netflix. The streaming service team with another respected American director on Marriage Story, the latest from Greenberg and While We’re Young director Noah Baumbach.

Another of his studies of midlife discontent, it stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johannson as a stage director and actress going through a divorce; both leads, as well as supporting players Laura Dern and Ray Liotta, have already earned rave reviews.

Meanwhile, the biggest film nerd you know probably already has the release date of Parasite circled on their calendar; it’s an eerie dark comedy about wealth disparity from Snowpiercer and Okja director Bong Joon-Ho, which promises more of the Korean master’s adroit tonal shifts, visual flourishes and barbed commentary. Similarly anticipated by self-proclaimed cinephiles like myself is The Lighthouse, the second feature from The Witch di-

rector Robert Eggers. Some directors play it safe after their first film proves a surprise hit; Eggers, on the other hand, has chosen to make a blackand-white minimalist psychological horror starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers who lose their minds.

Autumn is of course the season for horror, and while for me that will probably involve recommending obscure Italian horror films that are actually very underrated, for most of you that will involve seeking out new horror at the cinema. The satirically minded Ready Or Not has already earned rave reviews across the pond for its fusion of comedy and razor-sharp suspense and blood-letting. Doctor Sleep, meanwhile, takes on the unenviable task of following up one of the sacred texts of the genre – Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

Adapted from Stephen King’s 2013 novel, it stars Ewan MacGregor as the now-adult Danny Torrance returning to the spooky Overlook Hotel. Few horror films in recent times have been quite as striking as Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook – now Kent finally returns with bleak colonial revenge drama The Nightingale, which leaves behind the horror genre but promises to be disturbing and uncompromising; a difficult but potentially rewarding watch.

Of course, the event of events in the year’s second half will be Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which sees JJ Abrams return to the director’s chair to bring the new trilogy to an epic conclusion; promises big spectacle, bigger emotions, and the return of everyone’s favourite St Andrews alumna Iain MacDiarmid as the delightfully dastardly Emperor Palpatine. And of course, let’s not forget Cats, the Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation/demon from the uncanny valley coming to make us all regret developing sight and hearing. If one thing is clear, then, it’s that the year isn’t going to get any less eclectic and unpredictable.

Photo:Flickr

Milo Farragher-Hanks Film Editor

Photo: Impawards

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26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Arts and culture

St Andrews on Spotify ANNABEL STEELE Co-Arts and Culture Editor Spotify is the lazy music-lover’s best friend. Curated playlists, countless moods and genres to choose from, easy to use… but for Spotify artists, it’s not quite as straightforward.

These endless recommendations and pre-designed collections ensure that the hard work is done for users, so they don’t have to spend hours scouring through dusty corners of the catalogue to discover new stuff.

As a result, it’s pretty difficult to rack up listeners, particularly if you’re unsigned – and particularly, too, if you’re a student with very little dispensable time to spend submitting song links to the hundreds of playlist creators promising to promote new artists. On that note, let’s dive straight into an article celebrating a bunch of very talented St Andreans whose ace creations are available for you to Add To Queue.

sohayl ryder

Think chill, slow, synthy, and you’re pretty much thinking sohayl ryder. He has four gorgeous singles on Spotify at the moment, all of which capture an ethereal sound. Similar to artists like Two Feet, NomBe and Phantogram, sohayl ryder keeps his songs stripped back, bass-heavy and

lyrically poetic. As a time and place, it’s 11 o’clock at night in your bedroom with some candles lit and a bottle of red, winding down after a hectic day and getting a little out of your head before you go to sleep.

Floatingin-the-sky vibes Asher the Townhound

So you’ve fallen asleep to sohayl ryder and now your alarm is going off and it’s time to stick on an energising morning playlist. Enter Asher the Townhound: a St Andrews Spotifier boasting a full album. Take Noah and the Whale’s guitar strums and catchy melodies, and add a little bit of Still Woozy’s floating-in-the-sky vibes, and blast it through your speaker with a cup of coffee in your hand as you choose your outfit for the day.

What’s not to love?!

Liana Flores

Liana has an EP and an album filled to the brim with raw, gentle sounds. If you’re into simple, stunning, lyric-focused artists like Dodie – or if your favourite rom-com scene

is that iconic daydream from ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging’, accompanied by the Maccabees’ ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ – then this is the St Andrean Spotify artist for you. Liana’s songs belong with a brewing cup of tea, your favourite well-read book, a window seat on a rainy day and trips to old bookstores.

Messed Up Youth

Take everything I just said about Liana Flores and turn it on its head, and you’ll get close to the sounds of Messed Up Youth. Transport yourself back to angsty teenage school nights, blasting quality modern rock music in your room just to get a rise out of your parents. Messed Up Youth, whose name speaks for their sound pretty perfectly, boast four albums which hark back to the classic days when music was drums, bass, guitar and vocals, all working together in gorgeous chaos. Think Royal Blood, The Vaccines and refusing to do your maths homework. And if you’re a little more into live performances, the band just happen to be performing at Sounds of Sandy’s Live Music Night on 28 September from 10pm to midnight, in collaboration with STAR Radio.

Inigo

If you think Billie Eilish is a little too scary, or Massive Attack is a little too epic, then Inigo is for you. Combining

the electronic, bass-heavy, mysterious sounds of these two powerhouse artists but with an added grace and delicacy, Inigo’s sound is totally inspired but also unique. This St Andrean artist has two singles on Spotify, both of which are eerie, cinematic and very sexy – songs to play while you get wine drunk on your own, maybe. In ‘you hold the honey’, you can barely hear the lyrics but it doesn’t seem to matter. It’s sort of like watching a foreign film with the subtitles turned off: you realise that there are some art forms where the words aren’t really the main storytellers.

Finn Melrose

Remember when James Bay suddenly brought out his ‘Electric Light’ album, and everyone realised that electropop compliments some voices just as much as the faithful acoustic guitar?

Yeah, Finn Melrose has that all figured out. He’s got the sort of voice you’d typically expect to hear accompanied by strums and drums, but he’s gone in a whole other direction, creating electronic-based

tracks and layering vocal line upon vocal line to create an ethereal and individual sound. If you’re into Michl and Frank Ocean – or if you wish Ed Sheeran would be a bit more experimental from time to time – then this is the Spotify page for you.

So, now that we’ve done the hard work for you, it’s over to you to rack up the monthly listeners of these crazy St Andrews talents. And while we know that getting your stuff on Spotify isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of musical success, it’s pretty exciting to think about how many future Glasto headliners or in-demand producers are currently wandering up and down these three little streets, making amazing music in their bedrooms, writing songs on Castle Sands, singing original tracks at Aikmans or DJing in the Vic. St Andrews is only as small as you make it…

Photo: Finn Melrose

University representation in TV and film What does the media have to say about the life of a typical uni student?

Upon coming to university, everyone is always a little confused about what life as a student will entail – after all, that’s often what makes the process so weirdly exciting. You imagine life to be a cocktail of nights out, followed by hungover mornings in coffee shops, where everyone is sitting with a Starbucks coffee and talking philosophically about the meaning of life. But whilst part of this confusion derives from the knowledge that any sense of an obligatory routine has

Photo: Pexels

experience as an adult. Something to consider whilst thinking about this is that life in university is not a universal experience: The Guardian has reported that the number of people choosing to pursue higher education is 49 per cent. Whilst this is still a large proportion of the overall population, it is not a guaranteed experience that everyone is likely to go through unlike school or having a job. Nevertheless, it is still puzzling that there are countless shows, films and books set against the backdrop of high school which, when you think about it, is a little odd as people are younger, less independent and have very little free time – arguably a less interesting basis for a story. So, through the range of media depicting student life out there, what is the overall cultural perception of life at university?

Starting with films, the first ones that came to my head were a strange mixture: Legally Blonde, Pitch Perfect and The Riot Club. They certainly show very different experiences, but each film is very niche and specific to the institution and interest which they seek to explore. The characters in these films mature and come to an understanding about themselves throughout their respective stories which is a process which we’d like to believe is happening to ourselves whilst at university. But one film that I think captures the expectation versus reality of going away to university

is Starter For Ten, based on the book written by David Nicholls. It reflects the messy merging of love, uncomfortable conversations, freedom and alcohol that, for many students, sums up university life.

“The merging

of love, freedom and alcohol that sums up university

“

JULIET BOOBBYER Deputy A&C Editor

vanished and that you are left to your own devices, there is also a distinct lack of media out there which depicts real life at university. Of course, I should acknowledge that any sort of film or TV show would most likely idealise what student life is: watching someone sit for hours in the library or cook pasta for the fifth night in the row would not make great television. But it seems strange that there is a distinct lack of books, films and TV shows which use university as a backdrop because it is usually the first time that people live without parents around and are faced with the dichotomy of responsibility – bills, rent and independent work – and the liberating independence of your first

I would say that most people, when thinking of cultural representations of student life, would think of Channel 4’s Fresh Meat. Set in the fictional Manchester Medlock University, six new students (with the exception of Howard) move into a house together rather than halls of residence. Similar to BBC2’s “The Young Ones” from the 1980s, it portrays the excitingly eclectic blend of people that are grouped together at university as well as those days where you can just find yourself

in your flat wondering to do what with your time. The criticism that Fresh Meat ultimately received, however, was that throughout the final season the characters seemed unphased by their looming graduation and were rarely depicted doing, discussing or thinking about work. Some shows follow their protagonists to university – “Gilmore Girls”, “Boy Meets World” and “Gossip Girl” to name a few – but usually the characters will not spend much time in university itself as it was not involved in the original premise or storyline of the show. More recently, BBC3 released a rather frightening drama called “Clique” about students at the University of Edinburgh getting drawn into dangerous groups of friends and external businesses and away from academia and night clubs.

But that depicts an experience of student life which I hope no one can relate to.

Whilst this is a narrow selection of only TV shows and films, it shows that there are only a few accurate cultural representations of what life at university is like. Most shows and films seem to miss out at least one facet of the university experience, whether it be the essays, the new friends we make (and the ones we spend university trying to lose), the societies, the awkwardness of freshers’ week or the bad cooking. I would love to see more film and TV reflecting upon the insanity of modern student life.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Arts and culture

25

The Devil Wears... Flares?

The influence of Mamma Mia 2 on collections this Fashion Month Co-Arts and Culture Editor I’m calling it the Young Donna Sheridan Effect. This Fashion Month, as always, has welcomed a vast array of interpretations and predictions of the next Spring/Summer crazes. There are so many brands showcasing their new collections that, no matter how hard fashion journalists might try, it’s often pretty difficult to identify trends which span across designers.

But the Young Donna Sheridan Effect has managed to weave itself – quite literally – into almost every piece so far this month. What, I hear you ask, is the Young Donna Sheridan Effect?

Well, the answer comes in three parts: colours, clashes and layering.

“Donna

Sheridan wouldn’t be caught dead in Burberry

“

The outfits donned by Donna, portrayed by the goddess that is Lily James, in Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again, had an immediate impact in the fashion world. The domination of monochrome has characterised countless brands over the years, birthed during the hyper-cool 1990s when colour was put on the backburner. This trend was discarded a little during the gaudy naughties, then re-ignited about a decade later when ‘coolness’ became an elusive fashion goal once more, this time in the form of minimalism and androgyny. Blackand-white in fashion is polarising to say the least: perhaps most famously, it was deified by Lagerfeld, the late, great designer legend who never once threatened to inject a drop of colour into his own outfits – although his designs for Chanel and Fendi didn’t shy away from the colour wheel quite so much. On the other hand, the notorious editor of American Vogue, Anna Wintour, has famously criticised monochrome lovers – which is interesting, considering that her fictional double, The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestley, puts together some iconic black-and-white outfits during the course of the 2006 film. But if this is the Meryl Streep character who defends monochrome, Donna Sheridan is the character who condemns it.

And when Mamma Mia 2 came out, James’ interpretation of the youthful Donna was pretty damn inspiring.

And that brings us back to the Young Donna Sheridan Effect. The film was released in July 2018, too

realisation.

Prada SS20 takes a conservative approach to the Young Donna Sheridan Effect, showcasing mules, pencil skirts, shirts buttoned up to the neck, and wide brim hats which scream ‘upper-class mother-of-two vacationing in the South of France’.

But even though young Donna’s vibe is pretty much the exact opposite of this – and Prada’s – aesthetic, the house still manages to experiment with light and bright colours, floaty fabrics and clashing patterns, acknowledging the trends set by the ABBA-inspired film. Similarly, Marni’s latest show explored the relationship between different colours through an experimental collection of block oranges, pinks and reds, as well as a beautiful selection of patterned maxi dresses. Aside from one oversized leather jacket, there wasn’t a single all-black piece in the entire show. Fendi’s flirty approach to high end fashion lends itself to the Young Donna Sheridan Effect perfectly, and the house treated us to an SS20 collection filled to the brim with short skirts, light colours, crochet and sheer fabrics made for layering. On the beauty side of things, Fendi also went for the messy beach hair look, extending Donna’s influence to the aesthetic of the entire show.

But there was always one man at Milan Fashion Week who was going to take this trend to another level: Jeremy Scott. The Moschino show

a runway, but with tackier jewellery.

And the Donnas of the world are going to live for it.

If Fashion Month is on a Donna Sheridan spectrum, and Moschino is at one end of that spectrum, there is a brand which proudly sits at the other end. British fashion isn’t exactly known for being bold, brilliant and loud. We’re a modest bunch, even in the modern day, and no brand epitomises this cultural beige-ness more than Burberry. Aside from being remarkably boring, it’s also important to note that the SS20 collection was a little problematic. The inclusion of one – yes, one – Burberry hijab felt tokenistic to say the least. Had the brand designed an array of hijabs and reflected some sort of genuine interest in representation through its choice of models, it might not have seemed like such a glaring issue, but the religious headwear piece stood out like a sore thumb in a sea of white faces. Resolve this issue, Burberry: if you really are looking to celebrate the diversity of British culture, hire more than one hijab-wearing model for your show.

Anyway, on top of this, Burberry did a stellar job of shielding itself from the colour trend, showcasing nothing but whites, greys and browns. Donna wouldn’t be caught dead in any of it.

ERDEM also kept things British and conservative, presenting a collection of seemingly Victorian-inspired dresses which almost ignore the role of bare skin in fashion. Choosing

Photo: Pexels and the prints were all leading up to something: a jaw-dropping finale which saw Jennifer Lopez gracing the walk with a sexed-up homage to her famous 2000 Grammys dress.

But it wasn’t a tribute to that event in isolation: 2000 was also the year that the fashion world decided it wasn’t entirely allergic to colour. And now, thanks to Donna, we’re re-living that

was as obnoxious and audacious as you’d expect, and every second was dripping with ostentation. Honestly, I wouldn’t even dare to suggest that Mamma Mia 2 had anything to do with Scott’s collection: he doesn’t need any sort of external cultural incentive to drown his clothes in clashing patterns and gaudy colours.

Watching the Moschino SS20 show is like watching Alice in Wonderland on

where fabric should not be is just as artistically important as choosing where it should be, and Donna’s skin-happy attire celebrated the ‘less is more’ philosophy in relation to summer fashion. ERDEM’s SS20 collection has a much closer relationship with the new Downton Abbey film than it does with Mamma Mia 2. But, to give credit where credit is due, the brand did play around with clashes,

primarily through a succession of outfits at the halfway point of the show which took five different patterns and threw them together in different ways, in a great moment of organised chaos.

“Colour is

injecting itself into all facets of human existence

“

ANNABEL STEELE

close to the SS19 Fashion Month to have a tangible impact on designs.

Instead, fast fashion and high street brands such as ASOS and Zara were influenced by Sheridan’s concoction of crochet and colour clashes. But luxury fashion houses didn’t forget about it, and after a year of musing on the way to incorporate these gorgeous vibes into their shows and designs, the result thus far this Fashion Month has been beautiful.

Let’s start in Milan. Versace, Prada, Moschino and Marni… these are just some of the brands who chose to channel Mamma Mia 2 in their own respective ways. The Versace show was quite the journey: outfits at the beginning combined androgynous cuts with super sultry textures, and it was beginning to look as though the house had put on yet another colourless show with very little experimentation or external influence. But, halfway through, something switched.

It was almost as if Donatella had design 50 per cent of her collection, taken a quick cinema break to watch Lily James and Amanda Seyfried on the big screen, then returned with a whole new vision and created the outfits of the second half. Greens, blues and yellows started seeping through and the catwalk became host to an array of jungle prints and pattern clashes, accessorised with gold, gold and more gold – classic Versace, but with a Sheridan twist. Of course, Donatella doesn’t do things in halves

Flying across the Atlantic and landing in New York, the Young Donna Sheridan Effect was back in full force.

Oscar de la Renta messed around with make-believe beach waves on a few of the models, who were prancing up and down the catwalk in a variety of heavily accessorised textures, colours and patterns. Coach brought these vibes down to earth – or, in fashion terms, ready-to-wear – with a carefree cacophony of casual and colourful clothes.

Of all the shows I’ve seen this month, Coach was definitely the most coherent: every piece complimented every other piece, resulting in the most literal interpretation of a ‘collection’ that I’ve seen thus far.

Meanwhile, Tom Ford had a similar approach to Marni, playing less with patterns and more with block colours, and focusing strongly on texture. Low cuts, loose fabrics and lots of skin: if she had the cash, Donna would definitely cultivate her more formal wardrobe around Tom Ford SS20.

We are living in an era of many collective moods. The climate crisis is terrifying us all, but it’s also giving us room to explore our relationship with the earth and with natural beauty. Donna Sheridan’s wardrobe is entirely dictated by her obsession with travelling, summer, and the world.

She is characterised by curiosity. As a human race, we are beginning to exercise this curiosity again in our day-to-day lives, and it’s bleeding over into the way we design our individual aesthetic identities. Fashion is a way of designing our identities too, and this trend of curiosity is leading us to experiment with all the colours that the world has to offer. Through makeup, home décor, jewellery, clothing, even the food we’re consuming, the photos we’re taking and the films we’re shooting – colour is injecting itself into all creative facets of human existence.

Yes, we’re living in an era of many collective moods, but the most important of all those moods is hope. And if hope was a wardrobe, it sure as hell wouldn’t be monochrome.

26

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Arts and culture

Fleabag in the West-End Fleabag has achieved the pinnacle of what a TV show can be. Not only is it adorned with praise from the public and critics alike but it has reached the heady heights of becoming a cultural phenomenon. It has also been seen in many incarnations since its humble begins at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013. These include Off-Broadway runs of the original one-woman monologue, the aforementioned two series TV show, and a near shot for shot French remake called Mouche.

“I was neither

“

Back in May, it was announced that Fleabag would be having its final theatrical run in London’s West End. Having already ruled out another season of the TV series this meant the final outing for Fleabag ever. The world (Twitter) lit up as everyone (millennials) scrambled to get tickets to the cultural event that would de-

ing for the mere sake of witnessing Phoebe Waller-Bridge on stage. Her physicality is just as impressive as her writing. There is more room to explore the comedy, that came from her askew asides in the TV show, of Waller-Bridge’s facial expressions and posturing whilst imitating many of the characters we are familiar with, most fabulously, ‘Bus Rodent’.

However, there are limitations to the monologue. The world of Fleabag cannot be as richly painted as that of the TV series. Television affords Waller-Bridge more time to explore different aspects of Fleabag’s character. Although seeing a desperate and bad woman on stage is remarkable and needed, I think season TV Fleabag is the height of what the character can be.

Waller-Bridge takes on the task of playing with our emotions, through humour and sadness, without just going for shock. The character has evolved and has more to say about what it is to be a modern-day woman other than just the angry and self-destructive aspect of monologue Fleabag. The monologues that come from other characters or sparked by other characters are also marvellous and revealing about the human condition. This is not necessarily a criticism of the theatre show. It is not in its remit to do this. However, it does speak to the limitation of the form whereas as TV Photo: Impawards

disappointed nor completely swept off my feet

perate than the series. Season 2 of Fleabag has a sense of optimism even if it is still melancholy. Season 1 is more chaotic and angry and sad.

The original monologue is a tragedy with a shocking ending that the BBC decided was not fit for TV. This variation of tone from the TV show

makes the monologue worth seeing.

The viewer gets a slightly different Fleabag in this incarnation and gains different insights. It is also worth see-

has given Waller-Bridge more space to show off more of her genius. The monologue is like a diamond in the rough. Interesting to see if you’re a fan of the show, like a glimpse into your favourite artist’s sketch book, and also of value in and of itself. Yet, television has given us the perfect form of Fleabag.

“Television has given us the perfect form of Fleabag

“

MARIANNA PANTELLI TV Editor

fine a generation. Having spent exactly too many hours in a virtual queue on the Wyndham’s Theatre website instead of revising for my semester two exams, I managed to get tickets to a showing of Fleabag in early September.

So just how does this one-woman monologue compare to the smash hit TV show? Going into the theatre I was slightly cautious that it would underwhelm me. The TV show, especially the second season is so brilliant that I didn’t want it to be tainted at all and I had read some mixed reviews of the performance.

Ultimately, I was neither disappointed nor completely swept off my feet.

Firstly, the deft writing that the show is famed for is just as well handled in the monologue. Waller-Bridge’s writing prowess lies in her ability to catch us off guard.

She will have us laughing one minute and then whop us over the head with a blow of painful emotion. At other times, a serious moment is undercut with completely inappropriate humour. The effect of this is even more striking in the live show. Fleabag’s matter of fact description of a very unpleasant interaction with a man in a bar is horrifying. Just as this is sinking in, Waller-Bridge adds, “But he buys me a drink so- he’s nice actually,” whilst smiling. This axis turn is more shocking then anything of similar ilk in the TV showwhich is always played more wryly.

The live show is also more des-

I am glad I got to see Fleabag live.

Seeing the original source to one of my favourite TV shows was a treat.

It may not reach the sheer brilliance of the TV show but going in with the right expectations meant I wasn’t disappointed. It filled a different purpose for me than the TV show did.

One thing I would say is that I don’t think it is worth the heavy price tag some people are paying for tickets and I think very little ever would be.

However, at the more comprehendible prices it is definitely worthwhile.

If you can catch any of the NT Live showings across cinemas I would definitely recommend going to bid a fond and sad final farewell to Fleabag.

DIY Theatre

A celebration of independent theatre in St Andrews OLIVIA HENDREN & ANNABEL STEELE Co-Arts and Culture Editors For those keen to tread the boards in St Andrews, the most obvious wellspring of theatrical potential in town is the university’s Mermaids Performing Arts Fund. Mermaids serves a critical purpose in funding, supporting, and managing student productions – not to mention providing us with the ever-popular Christmas Ball each December (which many are so eager to attend that they’d just about do anything short of sell a kidney to procure an elusive ticket). But in recent years, our small town has expanded its appetite for theatre, giving rise to several independent groups and productions to rival Mermaids’ monopoly on the entertainment scene.

Anyone who has been involved with the theatrical social circle in St Andrews will tell you the same thing (with, yes, just the smallest of wry grins) - technically, everyone’s a Mermaid. As one of the union’s af-

filiated societies, every member of the student body is indeed automatically a part of the Performing Arts Fund. Nonetheless, as someone who remembers what it was like turning up as a pasty fresher looking to ingratiate herself, there’s no denying that Mermaids has on occasion felt intimidating to outsiders.

In some small way, independent productions seem to splinter that social fabric, offering students a chance to explore theatre outside of the proscribed route. By providing an alternative to Mermaids’ mandated productions, independent shows and groups allow for a well-needed breath of fresh air... and while the lawlessness of producing theatre without compulsory attendance at committee meetings, the careful checking of budgets, and all of the accountability therein can seem like a recipe for disaster, it can also be the opportunity for true artistic liberation.

Perhaps one of the most famous independent theatre groups of recent years in St Andrews is BoxedIn Theatre, a prime example of the way in which an independent group stood

by its own ethos and developed a uniquely ambitious vision. Founded by the now-recent graduate Oliver Savage, BoxedIn has moved from St Andrews’-based productions such as Romeo and Juliet or student-written Lobes to touring Britain and Ireland on its summer 2018 ‘Back of the Van’ tour. After a summer spent in Edinburgh showcasing eight original shows in the Fringe’s first ever zero-waste venue, BoxedIn has certainly redefined expectations of what St Andrews’ theatre-minded students can do – if only they’re willing to take a few risks. Being bold enough to tread a new path has forged several success stories, after all. 2017 graduate Joanna Bowman, who led the independent group Wanton Theatre in productions such as 2017’s Hedda Gabler, has since gone on to Assistant Direct at venues including Chichester Theatre.

Of course, independent productions are also offered the freedom of fewer logistical interventions. Staged in the James Gregory Telescope, last year’s show The Little Prince, produced by the group Peachy Keen, was

a moving testament to how performances can benefit from independence – even in terms of securing such a remarkable venue.

This semester sees two independent plays announcing themselves on the St Andrews scene – Lost Boot Productions’ Snore and Tom Basden’s play Party, directed by Alex Schellekens. Alongside six upcoming Mermaids’ shows, the theatre scene is

Photo: Louis Catiff

feeling especially fertile. Ultimately, independent productions and Mermaids’ shows definitely aren’t rivals. They’re not competing so much as they are working in tandem to widen an artistic and social environment that ought to support all of the people who come to this university with a well-worn playscript in their bag and the excitingly achievable hope of one day staging it.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Arts and culture

27

Oppa ‘K-Pop’ Restaurant A review of the most recent addition to the St Andrews culinary scene

With the opening of Oppa, the restaurant scene in St Andrews continues to expand across new cultures and flavors. I remember my days as a first year, looking at the limited restaurant options in St Andrews. I remember feeling underwhelmed, when eating out meant having only a burger, pizza or the occasional curry. Now, only three years later, the change in this town is well noticeable. St Andrews now offers foods from Scandinavia to Japan. You can find yourself in a quiet intimate restaurant or just as easily in a vibrant pub with live music. We even have an all plant-based restaurant. I never saw the day we would have that. Considering the mere size of St Andrews, these changes are incredible. It truly feels like the town is beginning to reflect the diversity of the population it caters to.

Oppa is just one of the many other restaurants contributing to this change, bringing the tastes of Korea and Japan to St Andrews in a new, lively setting.. It offers both an extensive take away and sitting in menu, both of which bring new food opportunities to St Andrews. In terms of take-aways, Oppa possesses a variety of sushis, sashimis and poke bowls readily available in their fridge, and made fresh daily. In addition, you can make your own sushirito, customize your own poke bowl, or request a variety of buns. So next time you’re queuing at Pret for the mil-

spicy stew with a variety of vegetables, tofu and/or meat. It is a salty and savory broth with an orange red color.

It is served in a hot bowl. Whenever jjigae comes out from the kitchen, it looks almost menacing, something to conquer. That is exactly what I did, or tried to at least, and it was delicious.

With this soup, along with many other of their dishes, they ask you about the level of spice you want. I thought I was pretty good with spice, so I confidently asked for a medium spice level. Warning: it was pretty hot – temperature and spice wise. I was fully sweating and my nose was running, but don’t let this discourage you.

Even though my mouth was on fire, the broth was so flavorful . My

friend next to me was in the same sweaty, runny nose state as me. So this felt like something of a bonding moment. If you like spicy food, this will definitely be the meal for you.

It comes with a side of purple rice that pairs very well. Portion wise, the piping hot bowl I received was pretty substantial. I took the rest home and added ramen noodles to it for lunch for the next day..

Every time a waiter brought food out from the kitchen, I couldn’t help but turn my head to every outgoing dish. With that in mind, Oppa is one of those restaurants where there are so many appealing options on the menu, that you already know you’ll be coming back to try more. I vowed to myself that when I return, I would try the bibimbap. This is a Korean rice bowl with an assortment of vegetables and m e a t in a

Photo: Olivia Hendren

beautiful, multicolored arrangement.

However, I also told myself I would try their assortment of noodle soups, as well as their sushi variety. So it looks like I’ll be making many trips to Oppa.

Another new element that Oppa

“I turned

my head to every outgoing dish

“

TAYLOR TEE Food Editor

lionth time, know that you have Oppa right across the street as an option to spice up your lunches! Oppa also offers a diverse and exciting sit in menu.

There you can order Korean classics such as Jjigae, Bibimbap and Mandu.

Not familiar with these dishes? That’s alright! The waiters are very helpful.

Not very good with spice? They can accommodate! Not sure how to eat it? They’ll give you advice! There are a variety of steaming hot rice bowls, sushi, noodle soups and more.

It has been a tradition with my extended family to get Korean food whenever we meet up. We’re not even Korean, just huge fans. So when I heard there was a new Korean sit down restaurant in St Andrews, I could hardly believe it.

The first time I went, I tried the pork belly jjigae.

I was off the walls w h e n I read t h a t t h e y h a d one of my favorite Korean f o o d on the menu.

This is a

brings is its ambiance. It gives off a modern and hip vibe. The walls are decorated with urban artwork and hanging plants. The music is very fun and lively.

During dinner hours, the restaurant is usually packed with groups of students, all enjoying the various options. I highly recommend it as a great place to try new foods amongst friends. Oppa definitely has a lot to offer. If there’s one thing for sure, you’ll definitely be seeing there.

Embracing ‘Hygge’ this Autumn ANNIE SMITH Editor-in-Chief OLIVIA HENDREN Co-Arts and Culture Editor With it being the end of September, there’s a good chance you have all your boxes unpacked in your new place and you’re starting to get settled. However, being unpacked isn’t the same as being settled. Just because your things are in place doesn’t mean you’ve had a chance to make it feel like home.

Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga), the newest trend for home decor, is a Danish and Norwegian word to describe a feeling of coziness combined with wellness and contentment. To ensure you have a warm home that you look forward coming back to at the end of a long day, we’ve gathered the best tips from the Hygge lifestyle to help you create a cozy living space, whether you’re living in student halls or a rented flat.

MOOD LIGHTING Nothing is more uncomfortable

than the harsh yellow-tinted ceiling lighting in your new place, which always seems to be either too bright or too dull. Instead of even turning this on, why not invest in other lighting to brighten your space and keep things cozy? Fairy lights are a go-to solution for mood lighting, available for just a few pounds at Primark or Amazon.

However, for those who don’t support the fairy light trend, a large lamp can brighten up a space just as well, and RGB lights are perfect for anyone wanting to change the actual colour of their lighting with the quick click of a remote control.

RUGS It’s out with the bland burgundy carpeting your landlord picked out, and in with an element Hyggeapproved. A rug is the perfect way to make your space feel a bit more cozy, and it will completely change the atmosphere of your room more than you can imagine. Not only does it distract from your otherwise discoloured flooring, but it also sets the tone for a room and makes the space more inviting. After all, if guests come over and you’ve run out of seating, would they rather sit on the off-green carpet

of your flat or a soft, comfortable rug?

THROW BLANKETS Similar to the thought pattern of rugs, throw blankets are a physical embodiment of Hygge, as they’re an invitation to comfortably snuggle up in your living room and relax. I would recommend finding throw blankets that are soft to the touch, not too expensive if you want them out for guests to use, and relaxing colours, such as pinks and purples or greys and whites. Make sure to designate throw blankets for particular areas of your living space so they can sit as a cozy decoration when you’re not using them.

DIFFUSERS/CANDLES We’ve addressed ways to make your space look and feel like home, so it’s equally important that it smells like home, too. Nothing says “welcome home” like opening the door to the scent of freshly baked cookies or clean laundry, and you don’t need either in your home to achieve that. Instead, splash candles or diffusers (depending on preference and whether candles are allowed by your landlord) around your home and feel

your shoulders come down when you enter a place that smells good after a long day.

PLANTS Houseplants are another great way to keep your room cozy and help you with adulting. Nothing is more attractive than knowing that your potential crush can keep a plant alive. Some easy to care for houseplants include snake plants and dragon plants which are also among the list of houseplants that produce the most oxygen. Succulents are another great choice as they are sold at Tesco, are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety of shapes and colo u r s .

Succulents require lots of light and very little watering.

However, if you are looking for something more advanced, then an orchid could be the plant for

you. Orchids are beautiful and require very little care, but beware that overwatering can kill them faster than you might think. Plants can also be helpful for your wellbeing during the gloomy winter months. Owning a plant that lives indoors forces you to open your windows each day and maximize the sunlight in your bedroom. Seeing your plants thrive is incredibly satisfying and will encoura g e y o u to keep up these good habits.

Photo: Pexels

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Editor: Charlotte Cohen Deputy Editors: Harry Dean, Lewis Frain, Daniel Ross, Jason Segall sport@thesaint-online.com

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Charlotte’s Column Charlotte Cohen Sport Editor

What a summer it has been for sporting fans this year, one that could almost rival last year where the 2018 World Cup provided spectacular viewing for football fans around the world. This summer saw a surge in popularity of women’s football as the Women’s World Cup made it to our screens courtesy of the BBC. It was nice to be English this summer, with their success in a variety of sporting disciplines over the course of the sunnier months (being Scottish, on the other hand, was less enjoyable).

They made it to the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup and, much like the men, ended their campaign for success at that point.

Additionally, they finished third in the Netball World Cup, something which I should imagine most of you were unaware was even happening, let alone did so well in.

This summer enabled us to witness some of the most exciting cricket of our generation. England’s success in the Cricket World Cup was nothing short of sensational, and that’s coming from a Scottish person who was hoping they’d fall short and lose in the semi-finals for the second time this summer.

In a dramatic super over, England managed to snatch a victory from New Zealand.

The Ashes was almost another dramatic win, after Ben Stokes put in enough work for a full cricket team.

But, in the end, it wasn’t quite enough, and despite ending in a draw, Australia retained the title for another year.

In the Euros, they are storming their (albeit relatively easy for a team of England’s standards) group, winning all of their last four games and are on course to have another successful international campaign.

At the other end of the spectrum is where we find Scotland, after another, unsurprisingly, lacklustre summer of sport.

In terms of our hopes for the Cricket World Cup, well, they were shattered before they’d even begun — a common theme with Scottish sport.

The Women’s World Cup was our chance for redemption, and we were so close.

This is one loss Scotland don’t deserve the blame for — that’s on VAR (a story for another day).

Despite starting our Netball World Cup campaign strong, we didn’t even manage a top ten finish.

I don’t even know if the Euros are worth discussing anymore. Let’s just say that when you find out you’re in the same group as Belgium, that’s enough to send anyone packing.

However, we gave it our best shot and, in true Scottish fashion, royally screwed things up. All I can say is thank goodness for the Nations League.

So, where do we go from here?

Well, the Premier League and Scottish Premier League are getting well underway now and promise to be another exciting season, so you’ve got your weekends packed full of sport for the next few months, featuring a few international breaks where you can stay up to date with your international team of choice and find out how long Scotland’s wait for international football will be.

The Champions League group stages also began last week, with the English teams not faring too well thus far. The Euros, too, have begun, with the English teams involved in this tournament fairing slightliy better.

The Women’s Champions League is getting into gear with the round of 32 just concluding last week.

The Dunhill is about to begin here in St Andrews, so if you have a spare few hours, get yourself along and check it out - it’s free for students.

For something slightly different, get yourself along to watch some of St Andrews sports teams on a Wednesday and show your support.

The St Andrews football Mens 1st XI produced a stirring second-half display against old foes Dundee to convert a 1-0 deficit at half time into a crushing 4-1 victory by the close of play, ensuring they gained the varsity spoils for 2019.

Conditions at kickoff couldn’t have been better, with the pitch bathed in glorious late afternoon sun and with several matchups already having concluded and the Womens 1sts and Mens 2nds playing their fixtures nearby, the sense of occasion couldn’t have been higher.

“Conditions at kickoff couldn’t have been better

It was an occasion, however, that the Saints initially failed to live up to. The boys struggled to gel, understandable perhaps considering it was their first competitive outing of the year, and were caught lacking on a few occasions as the Dundonians started the brighter of the two teams.

The visitors’ bright start was rewarded 20 minutes in when a foul from Matt Irvine on the right hand led to a cross that the Saints failed to

clear, with the opponent’s silky forward eventually slotting home.

Although it was deserved, the goal was the catalyst that kicked the Saints into action. A mazy run from fullback Iain Wilson saw the ball played to Tyler Gilmore in the box, whose shot was blocked, while a few minutes later a cross from the left nearly found the glancing head of Seb Ratzan.

Although Dundee still had their fair share of the chances, St Andrews were beginning to assert themselves.

Towards the end of the half, Akira Bowler in particular began to really assert himself in the middle of the park, and you could sense the visitors could not wait for the referee to blow the half-time whistle.

Ultimately when it did come, while the difference in quality between the sides had been negligible, the Saints had been hampered by a lack of understanding between players coupled with some sloppy individual errors which they would look to change in the next 45 minutes.

The start of the second half saw the Saints ring the changes. With five substitutions in all, that certainly gave the occasion a preseason feel.

It did not hamper the Saints’ momentum though, as back-to-back corners eventually resulted in Findlay Tough heading over from pointblank range. A matter of seconds later though, the Saints made the pressure play.

Flynn Gray’s header from a cross was diverted by the keeper straight into the path of Tyler Gilmore, who tapped in for the leveller while Dundee were claiming offside, to no avail.

The goal confirmed what the crowd already knew: that the Saints were firmly in the ascendency.

They were now playing with a real verve – a sharp contrast from their nervy first half – with goal scorer

Gilmore at the heart of it all.

It was only a matter of time then when the 2nd came, Gilmore again hammering in from close range with 20 minutes to go.

For 15 minutes the game continued as normal, with Dundee unable to break out.

While the Saints had plenty of chances to settle the issue, the clincher eventually came with five minutes to go: Iain Wilson pouncing on a Dundee defensive error and slotting home confidently well inside the box.

A fourth goal from distance a few minutes later really rubbed salt into the wound as the visitors, completely overrun and bereft of ideas, couldn’t wait for the final whistle and for the ninety minutes to be over.

The crowd could be in no doubt as to who had been the better side When it finally came, the crowd could be in no doubt as to who had been the better side.

This was the ideal result for St Andrews to take into the commencing of their BUCS season, while the strong performances of so many subs will no doubt give the coaches a litany of selection headaches ahead of their next clash.

Photo: Harry Dean

A Birdseye View

HARRY DEAN Deputy Sport Editor

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Photo: Wikipedia

Saints romp home with sizzling second half

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

Photo: Flickr.com

SPORT

Photo: Wikimedia

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Preview: Rugby World Cup 2019 HARRY DEAN Deputy Sport Editor

Group A:

Ireland: They may be heading into the tournament ranked first due to the curious nature of the rankings algorithm, but this feels like a side that peaked a year too soon. Last November they were the team to beat following a clinical takedown of New Zealand, yet at no point this year have they emulated such a performance.

While I’m confident they’ll top their group, a tough quarter-final assignment may just be the final nail in their coffin.

Prediction: Quarters. One to watch: Connor Murray.

Japan: The pressure on the hosts is

titanic. Not only will they be expected to match their superb 2015 showing, but inspiring a new generation of budding local talents to the game will also be viewed as a requirement for them in some quarters. Their fortunes will probably boil down to their clash with Scotland in the last match of the group stages, if they can pass that test, then Japanese rugby will certainly have much to smile about.

Prediction: 3rd. One to watch: Yu Tamura.

Russia:

They only qualified for their second World Cup by virtue of Romania and Spain having fielded ineligible players. Although they will have the honour of opening the tournament against Japan on Friday, they will have a real task in attempting to avoid multiple humiliations.

Prediction: 5th. One to watch: Vasily Artemyev.

Samoa:

It’s been a miserable few years for the Samoan players.

Recurring issues such as earning just above the poverty line, seemingly endless disputes with their governing body and not even having balls to train with have become an depressing reality for their players. To their eternal credit, you can be certain they will come to play with spades of national pride. While they may no longer have the talent to beat the big boys, they are still certainly capable of sparking

a fright or two in the group phase.

Prediction: 4th. One to watch: Chris Vui.

Scotland:

We all know what they can do when they are on song. The Scots have produced some thrilling rugby at times over the past four years yet this has been all too regularly interspersed with some dour performances particularly away from home, while the formula for beating them bullying them up front - has become all too obvious. While they should clear the group hurdle, that is probably about as much as they can expect.

Prediction: Quarters. One to watch: Finn Russell.

Group B: Canada:

For the first time ever in 2015, Canada finished a World Cup campaign with four losses, a sorry return for a nation with an underrated rugby heritage that even reached the quarters in 1991. This time they will surely have their eyes set on pushing Italy close in their pool game in a similar vein to four years ago. However, their recent rankings slump ensures this may be wishful thinking.

Prediction: 4th. One to watch: DTH van der Merwe.

Italy:

Of all the teams at the tournament, the Italians’ progress will probably be the most predictable. Too good for the two teams ranked below them yet nowhere near the two teams ranked above them, this is the same purgatory that has stalked Italy at the last few World Cups now. Should Conor O’Shea – without a Six Nations win in 20 attempts - step aside at the competition’s denouement, you certainly wouldn’t envy his replacement.

Prediction: 3rd. One to watch: Matteo Minozzi.

South Africa:

It’s hard to believe this was the same nation that endured such a miserable 2016, losing to the likes of Italy in what is comfortably regarded as their annus horriblis. This is now a team that appears to be peaking at just the right time, as shown by their Rugby Championship victory this year, and if they can lean on their traditional strength and brute force up front coupled with an increasing

level of creativity in the backs, it could prove just the right tonic for a 3rd world title.

Prediction: Winners. One to watch: Eben Etzebeth.

Namibia:

Seemingly always in the tournament if only to make up the numbers, this year the Namibians will be hoping for a few eye-catching results to make their detractors think again. Most obviously they will be targeting their final group match against Canada as a golden opportunity to gain their first ever World Cup victory, and their position in the rankings (just one place below The Canucks) makes this an eminently achievable goal.

Prediction: 5th. One to watch: Tijiuee Uanivi.

New Zealand:

As ever, they will go into the tournament as the bookies’ favourite. Yet to say their form over the past year has been ideal would be highly inaccurate: a lowly third place finish in the Rugby Championship this summer led to them being knocked out of the number one ranking spot for the first time in a decade.

They will still be confident of taking back home a third successive title, yet don’t be surprised if an ageing core falls just short.

Prediction: runners-up. One to watch: Beauden Barrett.

Group C: Argentina:

The success of the Jaguares in this year’s Super Rugby competition coupled with the Pumas’ tendency to peak in World Cup years make me confident they will have enough to escape this group of death.

If they can impress in the group phase, no one will be keen on playing them in the knockouts.

Prediction: Quarters. One to watch: Agustin Creevy.

England:

If they can figure out a way to close out games, something that has been their kryptonite in the last year, then they can definitely go all the way. Their tough group should only ensure they are sufficiently battle-hardened ahead of the knockouts (assuming they don’t repeat 2015 and crash out after four games).

Prediction: Semis. One to watch: Maro Itoje.

France:

The eight preceding years since their 2011 World Cup final appearance have been dreadful for fans of the French national team. My feeling is that this somewhat predictable, one-dimensional team will ensure their fans will face more suffering before things get better. While this tournament may therefore come a bit too soon for this up-and-coming wave of talent, a home world cup in 2023 could well be their chance to shine.

Predition: 3rd. One to watch: Damian Penaud.

Tonga:

As they ready themselves for another chance at giving the rugby superpowers that be a bloody nose, it’s important to remember that for a nation with a little under 1,000 registered players, it is nothing short of incredible they consistently manage to get to the biggest stage, yet defeats to Japan and Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup this year should equally temper expectations.

Prediction: 5th. One to watch: Sonatane Takulua.

USA:

This is undoubtedly the strongest American side to have ever played at a World Cup. With Major League Rugby looking for a shot in the arm and rugby as a whole in the country seeking to infiltrate into the mainstream American sporting consciousness, some eye-catching performances over the next few weeks could just prove to be the perfect catalyst.

Prediction: 4th. One to watch: AJ MacGinty.

Group D:

Australia: While it’s true that since

making the final in 2015 the Aussies have endured a pretty miserable time of things both on and off the field, their thrashing of New Zealand in the Rugby Championship last month does show this is a side still more than capable of mixing it with the top dogs.

Should they beat off Wales - a side they are traditionally strong against - and top the group, they could easily go much further than expected by many.

Prediction: Quarters. One to watch:

David Pocock.

Georgia:

Finishing third in their group in 2015 and thus automatically qualifying for this year’s tournament was undoubtedly a seminal moment in Georgian rugby history.

While they have largely dominated all before them in the Rugby Europe Championship recently, heavy defeats to Scotland in the tournament warm-ups prove they may not be quite ready to consistently cut it at the top level.

Prediction: 4th. One to watch: Mamuka Gorgodze.

Fiji:

Watching the Flying Fijians express their dazzling rugby philosophy is undoubtedly the highlight of any World Cup. Yet beyond just enjoyable rugby there is substance to their game. Before Australia and Wales turn their attention to the knockout stages, they’d be well advised to steer clear of being upset by these barnstorming boys of the South Seas.

Prediction: 3rd. One to watch: Ben Volavola.

Uruguay:

Seeing their wide-eyed celebrations at the two tries they scored at the last World Cup was one of the most memorable moments from the last World Cup. Yet with the rapid growth of professionalism in their ranks they will be surely expecting to achieve a bit more of themselves this time round. While a win may be asking a lot, just having the chance to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world will be a huge bonus for them going forward.

Prediction: 5th. One to watch: Manuel Leindekar.

Wales:

This Wales side isn’t awash with star power; instead their team cohesion and spirit ensure they usually get the better of their opponents.

After a grand slam Six Nations earlier this year they are (whisper it quietly) one of the favourites heading into Japan, even with the late drama of assistant coach Rob Howley being sent home days before the opener. If they can top the group, a clear path to the final lies ahead. At what point will the valleys start to dream?

Prediction: Semis. One to watch: Alun Wyn Jones.

26 September 2019 · thesaint-online.com

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Is cricket on the rise in North America? unintersting.

Further, it is worth noting that the cricket matches which take place in North America typically concentrate in a few areas, and the matches don’t span as wide a geographical area as in the UK. Likewise, the Canadian cricket league played all their matches in just one stadium (the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground in Ontario).

Similarly, matches which have taken place in USA have typically taken place in Florida. Greater still, exposure is short.

“Persistance and hard work could be the key tools

Unlike an NFL season, a franchise cricket league lasts a relatively short period of time in comparison.

For example, the Canadian cricket league lasted just over one month.

Further, in USA matches which are played by international sides are relatively ad hoc in occurrence, which makes it less likely that people will follow it.

This short and limited exposure to the sport makes it difficult to gain a significant following in North America.

Yet it is unrealistic to argue that a wider and longer term season is

possible.

This is a result of the fact that finances would be very difficult to obtain.

The franchise cricket wages of Steve Smith or Chris Gayle would be hard to sustain for any longer than a month. Furthermore, hosting internationals in USA comes at a cost.

For teams like the West Indies, it deprives their supporters of being able to see their team play, which would further weaken the already low viewership that the sport receives around the globe.

Moreover, cricket is a sport which is notorious for having “home-field advantage,” meaning people would be less inclined to watch if they feel their team is likely to lose.

The climate and weather of a foreign country make it difficult for a visiting team to play effectively, substantially more so than in other sports, so it favours a home side.

This means a country such as the West Indies choosing to play many of its home internationals in a foreign country puts them at the same disadvantage as the away side.

Clearly though, there is increasing commitment to growing the game in North America.

The West Indies have suggested that they will continue to host a certain number of their fixtures in USA until 2022.

Global T20 Canada (the official name of the Canadian cricket league) also attracted some of the biggest names in cricket to join its league, which wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t have faith in the sport.

So perhaps whilst difficult to do, the cricket world is no longer dabbling but instead increasingly committed to spreading cricket in North America.

Perhaps though the ICC should

look to grass-root projects in North America.

A potentially big issue facing North American cricket is limited resources.

Cricket wickets and areas to explain how cricket is played are undoubtedly needed to teach and spread cricket.

Perhaps it is also a more sustainable way forward in comparison to having to try and attract the biggest cricket stars in the world to North America each year.

So USA becoming the 105th member of the ICC in January 2019, which will entitle it to funding from the cricket governing body, is promising for grassroots growth of the game in North America.

It is worth looking at how a sport from North America has managed to grow internationally.

The NFL is fast becoming one of Britain’s more popular sports to watch.

North American students in St Andrews can probably relate to the fact it was not just North Americans who attended the Super Bowl parties this year.

Attempts to spread the NFL following have been long and committed.

The first attempt was a pre-season game in the 1980s. But, since 2007, regular-season games have been played in London.

Now the NFL games in London regularly sell out. SKY even broadcasts NFL fixtures and dabbles in some College Football games.

Whilst there are significant obstacles in the way of growing cricket in new countries, it will clearly be a long process and a number of different policies will need to be tried.

But if cricket and the ICC take a leaf out of the NFL’s book, persistence and hard work could be the key tools.

Photo: ICC Cricket.com

This summer has certainly been an eventful one for cricket, particularly in the UK. England won the ICC ODI World Cup, while Ben Stokes single-handedly almost saved England’s Ashes campaign, and no-one can forget Steve Smith’s phenomenal and all-too-consistent (for an Englishman) heroics with the bat.

But, in the wider context of the game of cricket, there was perhaps a far bigger event this summer: India played the West Indies in an international T20 match in Florida, USA. This is surprising as it is an example of an international cricket match being played in a country with a very minor cricket following.

By many measures, cricket is widely seen as the world’s second most popular sport, with football taking the number one spot.

Yet football can perhaps be the only sport which is truly considered to be a global game, as demonstrated by the viewing figures of the World Cup, in the sense that, within any given country, most people will be able to explain how the game is played, and the majority of them will watch it, too.

In contrast, cricket, whilst statistically popular, fails to maintain its popularity outside of its high status in the UK. Whilst the sport is immensely popular in India (with a population of 1.3 billion people), little is understood of the game in most countries outside of India.

Countries such as the United States of America, and even full continents such as South America, only have the vaguest of understanding of

the sport of cricket. Yet, is this beginning to change? This year was not the first time that two international cricket sides have played matches in minor cricket countries, or even in USA for that matter.

For example, the West Indies played a previous international match in Florida in 2008.

However, attempts to grow cricket in North America do not stop at the USA. In 2018, a Canadian professional cricket league was founded.

It included big-name players such as Steve Smith, David Warner, and Chris Gayle playing in the new league.

So clearly, the cricketing world and governing bodies like the ICC have a clear interest in spreading the game beyond the already established cricket nations.

However, doing so has proven more problematic than an Australian wicket to the English test team.

Firstly, whilst USA was the host of the first test match ever played (back in the nineteenth century), it is hard to spin the sports current popularity into a positive light.

Interest in the sport is almost non-existent.

During the 2018 International between the West Indies and India, there was less then 1,000 people in attendance at the stadium (according to Cricinfo).

Further, in total according to Cricket Country, just 30,000 people follow or play cricket in USA, completely unreflective of the size of the population. Of course, it is worth remembering that there are over 330 million people in USA. So spreading the sport will prove an upward battle to create a fan base as, to a large numer of people, the sport is utterly bewildering or just

“

DANIEL ROSS Deputy Sport Editor

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Saints storm to varsity success

SAINTS SPORTS SCOREBOARD

When you think of sporting universities, I can’t imagine St Andrews is high up on your list. Stirling, yes, maybe Loughborough, and potentially even Dundee, but not St Andrews.

St Andrews is, first and foremost, an academic university.

People will tell you that we’re here to work hard and get a good degree - well, at least that’s what they think. It is all in spite of the fact that we have some unbelievably talented young athletes (I can assure you anyone who tells you otherwise have not seen the men play football), and last Wednesday’s football game was a shining example of that talent.

Unless you play a sport that partakes in it, you probably won’t be aware that varsity exists outside the realm of rugby.

Last Wednesday saw many of the University’s sports teams going headto-head with their varsity rivals. One of such sports was football, where teams from all across the club took on their varsity counterparts.

The men’s teams were up against Dundee University and the second team gave a masterclass in how to win varsity.

Despite missing out on the whole season last year due to a varsity-in-

than they should have. An injury for a member of the Dundee side meant play was halted for an unnecessarily long amount of time, but once play restarted he was able to continue without issue.

It seemed like Dundee were trying to waste as much time as possible so they could finish the half on a draw they probably knew they were lucky to be getting away with. As the referee blew his whistle, the first half finished with both teams level, even though St Andrews were clearly the stronger of the two sides.

The start to the second half was almost indistinguishable from the first. Not much needed to change for the Saints, it was Dundee who really needed to turn up for the next 45 minutes, something with which they struggled, and the Saints dominated play for the remainder of the half.

The only difference between the second half and the first was that the Saints were managing to convert their chances into goals.

The Saints’ second goal of the match came only a few minutes into the second half, and the Dundee support began to quiet down.

Much like the first half, the majority of play took place in Dundee’s half of the pitch, so it wasn’t long before the Saints managed to put a third past the away side.

Although Dundee looked slightly stronger on the attack than they had in

Rugby Women’s 1sts Men’s 1sts

0-52

Edinburgh 1sts

0-52 Edinburgh 1sts Tennis

Women’s 1sts

10-2

Glasgow 1sts

Football Women’s 1sts

1-4

the first half, some superb goalkeeping from Daniel Ross — which included one save where it looked like he could have jumped beyond the crossbar had he needed to — prevented Dundee from putting any more past the St Andrews defence.

A few changes for the Saints in the second half brought some fresh legs onto the pitch and an injection of pace along with it, which was exactly what the Saints needed to push them further in front of the visitors.

Thanks to some good pressure from the Saints and a major error from the Dundee defense, St Andrews netted another and were 4-1 up, still with over twenty minutes to go before the ninety minutes.

The Dundee fans had firmly shut their mouths by that point, and across the pitch the Saints had drawn quite the crowd. The Saints’ teammates were making up for the drop in decibels on the other side of the pitch.

It was obvious that there was no hope of a victory for Dundee. The only

Stirling 1sts thing left was to try and close the gap and make their defeat less embarrassing, but even that was unachievable.

Before the ninety minutes were up the Saints managed to put another one past Dundee, stretching their lead to four goals.

A last minute effort from the Saints saw them almost netting a wonder goal, but the ball went wide. By this point the Dundee support had nothing left to say, and neither did their players, and as the referee blew the final whistle, the game finished 5-1.

As the Dundee boys sulked back to their bus, the St Andrews boys headed back home in triumph.

Even though some members of their team had completed the strenuous cycle from St Andrews to Manchester in aid of Bloodwise UK only the week before preseason began, the boys looked ready to take on the rest of the season.

Which, I can only imagine, will bring with it more goals, more wins, and more celebration.

Photo: Charlotte Cohen

CHARLOTTE COHEN Sport Editor

duced injury, newly elected captain Daniel Cohen led the team to a smashing 5-1 victory against their Dundonian counterparts and managed to escape injury-free.

Although they dominated the first quarter of the game, giving Dundee hardly any chances to break, much of play was done inside Dundee’s own half, so it was surprising when, on their first attempt on goal, Dundee managed to find the back of the net and the Saints found themselves 1-0 down inside the first 20 minutes.

The Saints, despite winning a free kick and having multiple attempts on goal, couldn’t find the back of the net.

However, Dundee’s early goal was clearly enough to kick St Andrews into gear, and within the next 20 minutes, St Andrews managed to equalise thanks to a fierce strike from Jimmy Thompson.

The remainder of the half followed along the same vein — more dominant play from the Saints with plenty of chances on goal, though unfortunately none of which could be converted to goals, and an unusually busy Dundee support, less unusual were the shouts from the Dundee support that lasted the duration of the first half.

As the half was drawing to a close, it was clear the Dundee side were feeling uneasy, their tackles were becoming sloppier and they were allowing the St Andrews side more space

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