Issue 210

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SAINT

The independent voice of St Andrews students since 1997 THESAINT-ONLINE.COM

ST ANDREWS, 2 March 2017

JAMIE RODNEY

D

uring a 14 February joint meeting of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and Student Services Council (SSC), a motion to create an SRC member for mental health awareness was rejected.

The motion, which was proposed by Director of Representation Jack Carr and Director of Student Services and Development Caroline Christie, would have replaced the SRC wellbeing officer with the SRC member for mental health awareness.

The proposed member for mental health awareness would have worked to organise the University’s annual Mental Health Awareness Week and "assume strategic and operational control over all campaigns operated by the Students' Association in relation to mental health."

During the Joint Councils meeting, Mr Carr

said students had expressed interest in standing for the role. He added that the position would make campaigns relating to mental health at the University easier to run on an operational level.

However, Mr Carr "didn't necessarily feel confident that by introducing this motion, we're bringing an aspect [of mental health awareness] which is different from the director of wellbeing."

He explained that creating such a position could lead to the individual holding it "going rogue" by taking on responsibilities beyond the remit, including advocacy and counseling.

Given these concerns, the motion was not officially endorsed by the sabbatical team.

SRC members also questioned how the new member would be trained to handle more sensitive aspects of the role, though Mr Carr said he was "confident" suitable training could be arranged.

However, SRC Member for Widening Access and Participation Chris Wilde objected to this,

Photo: Sammi Ciardi

THE

saying that completing suitable training for such a position "could take years,” and it could potentially be "dangerous" to allow someone who had not undergone this training to assume such an important role.

Association President Charlotte Andrew agreed, saying that such a role would constitute "an uncomfortable level of risk to an unpaid scholar who is young and vulnerable."

Even SRC members who were in favour of creating the position in principle argued that the role described in the motion could be better carried out by the mental health coordinator within Student Services.

The motion was ultimately defeated after a lengthy debate.

Despite saying that he was "extremely enthusiastic about the motion” during the Joint Councils meeting, current Wellbeing Officer Nick >> see MENTAL HEALTH, page 3

MEMBER FOR MENTAL HEALTH? Joint Councils reject proposed creation of SRC member for mental health awareness, citing similarity to DoWell, emphasis above other aspects of wellbeing

Nominations for student elections prove chaotic, voting opens JONATHON SKAVRONECK

News editor

Nominations week for the 2017 Association elections proved tumultuous.

Many candidates waited to submit their nominations until the latter half of the five-day nomination period, with some being confirmed just minutes before campaigning began. For sabbatical positions and down-ballot races alike, the field of candidates shifted due to many withdrawals.

Most notably, the race for Association President was fluid up until Saturday afternoon, when early nominee James Bundy withdrew his candidacy. Earlier in the week, Guy Roulstone was nominated but also withdrew his nomination.

Lewis Wood, the current

Association LGBT+ officer, originally was nominated for the newly created position of director of wellbeing but pulled his nomination and entered the race for president shortly thereafter.

Saturday saw only Mr Wood and fellow nominee Lewis Campbell remaining.

Nominations week also saw multiple positions left uncontested or without a nominee.

Both the sabbatical positions of Director of Education (DoEd) and Director of Student Development and Activities (DoSDA) faced uncontested races on Friday evening.

The withdrawals of Mr Wood and Linsey Welshman caused the landscape of the Director of Wellbeing race to shift throughout the week, leaving just one candidate, Claire Shirey, by the start of campaign activities.

Important seats on the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and Student Services Council (SSC) were also left without competition.

Little interest was shown in the roles of LGBT+ officer, charities officer, and societies officer, with each garnering just one nomination.

In total, 22 of the 61 available positions were vacant or had just one candidate. This is an increase of almost 50 per cent from the 2016 elections, when just 16 positions were unfilled or uncontested.

Uncontested races narrow students’ choices at the polls.

Voters can either select the candidate or opt to re-open nominations. It is a rare occurrence that a candidate loses to this option.

At the time of publication, the races for postgraduate academic convener and Italian convener still had no nominations.

The Association elections committee sent an email to the student body just hours before nominations closed.

The message urged students to “take an interest and have a chat with your candidates” as well as vote.

St Andrews maintained the highest student voter turnout among UK universities for four years running until 2016, when engagement declined and the University fell in the rankings.

Ultimately the week ended with 122 students being nominated for 61 available positions.

Voting for all positions opened Thursday at midnight and will continue until Friday at 6 pm. Results will be announced beginning at 8 pm.

For more information on candidates and their campaigns, visit The Saint’s online election hub at thesaint-online.com/ elections-2017.

4

number of candidates who have withdrawn or changed their nominations

122

number of students running for 61 available positions

22

number of positions vacant or with one candidate

S

NEWS

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EDITORIAL

Inside the paper

16 February 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Page 21

News

Elections pull-out featuring exclusive information on the sabbatical candidates

Viewpoint

Page 9

Devils' Advocate: is the Students' Association vital to the University?

Page 14

Money

Meeting the Quants: students build algorithmic trading model

Page 19

Features

Meet the two students who brought Robby Mook to St Andrews

Page 23

Photos

Commending the Councils' decision

O

n a surface level, the Joint Councils’ decision to reject the creation of an SRC member for mental health awareness defies the Association’s dedication to wellbeing.

In fact, the opposite is true. As several SRC members and sabbatical officers noted during the 14 February Joint Councils meeting, the member for mental health awareness’ proposed remit could prove problematic.

Thanks to the efforts of Director of Representation Jack Carr, the first director of wellbeing will be elected tomorrow.

Mental health awareness falls under the DoWell’s remit, and he or she will be able to focus entirely on this and similar areas.

While mental health is undoubtedly an important issue, emphasising

it above other issues would undercut both wellbeing as a whole and the position of DoWell.

The rejected motion states the member for mental health awareness would not be a direct advocate or counselor for students suffering from mental health issues, but those in attendance questioned the plausibility of this limitation.

As proposed, the member would be less of a hands-on mental health resource than an organisational leader coordinating Association efforts to support wellbeing.

However, the member could go “rogue,” as Director of Representation Jack Carr suggested, and begin counselling students or advocating specific cases.

This may seem like a positive result because it creates another

THE SAINT

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Page 24

Can you connect popular events to their chosen charity?

Arts and culture

Page 30

An interview with the founders of Wax Collective

Sport

Page 39

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mental health treatment option at the University, but in actuality all parties involved would suffer.

The University currently has several venues for mental health treatment, including Student Services and Nightline.

While these organisations are not without their faults, the individuals working for them are far better equipped to directly counsel students: after all, that is their job.

The Students’ Association deserves commendation for thoroughly considering the potential ramifications of a member for mental health awareness.

Although the position was proposed with the best intentions, it would need to be better mapped out or revamped with a wider remit to be wholly effective.

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NEWS

News editor: JONATHON SKAVRONECK Deputy editors: Georgia Davies, Lottie Garton, Ellie Hope, Paige Smith, Tom Williams news@thesaint-online.com

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>>MENTAL HEALTH

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ASSOCIATION CHAIR RESIGNS

Photo: Sammi Ciardi

Farrer later told The Saint that "the motion correctly identified certain questions regarding the Wellbeing Committee but did not provide the correct answers, which is why it failed.

The Joint Councils were concerned that an SRC member for mental health awareness would be reached out to by students as a means of direct support (rather than awareness) and that the motion would unjustly signal to the student body that the Union's wellbeing committee prioritises mental health over all the other committee re-

Sigrid Jørgensen resigned just before dissolution of the 2016-17 Association councils JOSEPH CASSIDY Deputy editor In a dramatic move just prior to the dissolution of the 2016-17 Association councils, Association Chair Sigrid Jørgensen resigned.

The resignation was announced by Association President Charlotte Andrew at the last meeting of the joint councils on 14 February 2017.

In a statement to the councils, Ms Andrew said, “Unfortunately, Sigrid decided to resign. I won’t go into any further detail, as I think it’s unfair to do that without Sigrid being in the room. She’s done a good job this year. She’s been capable and efficient, and we all owe it when we see her next [to] thank her for her time and her commitment to councils.”

In a statement given to The Saint prior to the 14 February meeting, Ms Jørgensen said, “I officially resigned as Association chair because of the blatant lack of respect from the sabbs.

“I refuse to partake or be a representative in an Association that consistently

forces me to choose between following the rules and bending the rules for the sabbs.

“This is not the Association that I ran to be a part of. I have constantly had to fight for the student voice that is ignored and have been personally attacked for doing

I have constantly had to fight for the student voice that is ignored my job. My resignation takes effect immediately, and I will not be attending the meeting tomorrow.”

Ms Jørgensen also said that she had “felt pushed out for a very long time.”

Asked why she decided to resign just as councils were about to be dissolved and a successor elected, Ms Jørgensen said, “I felt resigning was the most powerful way for my view and experiences from the past

year to be heard.”

Responding to Ms Jørgensen’s claims, the sabbatical team said in a statement, “The Association chair resigned on the evening of Monday 13 February. Earlier that day, the Students' Association executive committee formally reprimanded the Association chair for inconsistent application of the Students' Association rules in relation to the removal of officers from councils.

“At the final meeting of councils on Tuesday, the Association President expressed her gratitude for the dedication of the former Association chair across two years of volunteering on councils. Her fellow council members were encouraged to thank her for her service.

We are disheartened that the former Association chair felt it was necessary to resign, or that she believed a lack of respect was present in her relationship with the sabbatical officers. We wish her luck in the future.”

The election for Ms Jørgensen’s successor will take place today and tomorrow, 2-3 March, along with elections for all Association positions.

St Andrews Blood Donation Society hosts two-day blood drive

JAMIE RODNEY

The St Andrews Blood Donation Society marked Valentine’s Day with a two-day blood drive in the Union.

Members of the society, in conjunction with NHS Scotland, invited students to Club 601 to donate blood.

Many students who participated were veterans of previous blood drives. Casey Carty, a study abroad student from the College of the Holy Cross, organises similar events at her home institution. Ms Carty, who was going to Club 601 to give blood for the

tenth time since she became eligible to donate, said, "It's always nice to help others, and the fact that just one pint of blood could mean the difference between life and death for someone just makes it more important."

Alyn McKenzie was donating for the first time and cited similar reasons, saying, "Everyone's likely to need a blood transfusion at some point, so donating is the right thing to do."

Besides individual donors, many students donated as part of a society.

Chloe Jones, a second-year biologist, was part of a ten-strong contin-

gent sent by the St Andrews Canoeing Club. Ms Jones, who serves as the club's web and publicity officer, said, "The Canoe Club has always tried to focus on helping the wider community as well as sport, so charity work is very important to us. Donating blood is both an extremely easy and extremely useful form of this charity work."

Others donated for more personal reasons. Alasdair Gillies, a second-year international relations student, said, "A few years ago, my mum was diagnosed with leukemia. The only reason she made it through was

because of donated blood, so I feel like I've got a duty to do this now."

The St Andrews Blood Donation Society does not have exact figures for the amount of blood donated, but its last blood drive, held in October 2016, saw over 300 people donating over the space of two days.

Society President Grania Smith told The Saint, "I would just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who comes out and donates. I know it can be quite daunting especially the first time around, but it's definitely worthwhile, and the blood you donate really can save someone's life."

The motion would unjustly signal [...] that the Union's wellbeing committee prioritises mental health over all the other committeee responsibilities sponsibilities (sexual health, personal safety, physical health, and so on).

“I was happy to support a theoretical amendment which would make the position an SRC-elected member for the wellbeing committee, but this was judged to be a separate motion rather than something an amendment should introduce.

"As we couldn't amend the motion to address the concerns of Councils, the motion failed."

The University has received criticism for its treatment of students with mental health problems in the past.

In March 2016, The Saint reported the director of teaching for the School of English had recommended that Joshua Teo, a student who had missed a string of tutorials due to depression, "consider leaving the University.”

This suggestion came after a confidential email from Mr Teo to his tutor was forwarded to the director of teaching without Mr Teo's permission.

Mr Farrer stated that the failure of the motion should not be a cause for concern for students with mental health issues.

"I would primarily reassure students that mental health and mental health awareness is a gigantic priority to the Union and this vote should not be understood as a snub of it,” he said.

“There never has been an SRC member for mental health awareness, but mental health awareness has always been a primary concern of the wellbeing committee, the DoRep, and future DoWell, and it always will be. [...] Strong mental health awareness and support from the Union and University will continue."

NEWS

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Photo: Mika Schmeling

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Union adopts new green policies TOM WILLIAMS Deputy news editor The Students’ Association voted in favour of introducing a new sustainability policy on 14 February.

The policy was proposed by Mariya Simeonova, Association environment officer and head of the Students' Association environment subcommittee.

The policy provides a number of guidelines for the environmental and ethical considerations of the Association and will be enacted by the environment subcommittee.

The new actions encompass a wide variety of sectors, including waste and recycling, energy and water conservation, and sustainable and socially responsible catering and travel.

The motion further explains a number of changes to the Students’ Association that will help it to achieve success in these sectors.

On the issue of waste and recycling, the policy asserts, “No use is made whatsoever of disposable crockery or cutlery in order to minimise waste and environmental damage, except in exceptional circumstances, when alternatives should be 100 per cent biodegradable or recyclable.”

On the matter of energy the

Students’ Association has affirmed that it is committed to a “10 per cent green energy supply."

And in tackling sustainable and socially responsible catering, the Association has again pledged its commitment to actively promoting “fairtrade in accordance with the fairtrade policy.”

A provision was also included to encourage video-conferencing instead of travelling and, when travel is neccessary, to use "environmentally-friendly travel options."

The policy also mandates reassessment in February 2018.

Ms Simeonova did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Councils restructure rules for 2017 rectoral elections GEORGIA DAVIES Deputy news editor On Tuesday 14 February 2017, the Students’ Association Joint Councils debated a motion to amend the procedures and regulations of the next rectorial election, which is set to be held in October 2017. Nominations open on Monday 2 October, and voting ends on Friday 13 October.

New regulations state that students will be the bulk nominators for this elections. Any nomination must be signed by a minimum of 20 students of the University. The proposer of the nomination, also required to be a student, must run the election campaign and serve as the contact of communications for their candidate during the election. The motion cited the fact that “the rector is an integral figure in student representation.”

These changes come due to “the short time between the start of the semester of the academic year 2017/2018.”

The new rules and regulations also stipulate that candidates must appoint both a campaign manager, usually the proposer, and a campaign team. These individuals will be held accountable for campaign activity. In a move to further increase transparency, no sabbatical officers of the Students’ Association or the

Athletic Union may participate in any campaigning.

As with the current Students’ Association elections, environmental concerns were flagged as a priority.

In the current round of student elections, there were also new restrictions placed on the use of flyers and paper publicity materials.

However, it is the campaign managers, not the candidates, who will be responsible for any penalties in this case. Campaign materials must cease to be used within 48 hours of voting closing.

Most importantly, a budget extension of £350 will be given to each candidate to use for campaigning and publicity expenses. The University will reimburse this money to the nominated individual as long as detailed expense records are kept.

The updated rules and procedures also state that “more serious infringements” will be escalated to the returning officer and may result in candidates being fully discredited or being given a financial penalty.

The University Senate-appointed supervisory panel, which deals with any disputes regarding electoral practice, will have final say in election procedural complaints,w and there will be no appeals held.

Catherine Stihler, Scottish MEP and former president of the Students' Association, has been rector since winning the 2014 rectorial election.

Association supports lecture capture technology Director of Representation Jack Carr proposed a motion supporting lecture capture technology at a meeting of the Students’ Representative Council and Student Services Council on Tuesday 14 February.

Lecture capture technology has been trialled around campus in a one-semester pilot program, according to the meeting’s agenda. The technology was trialled in the schools of computer science, modern languages, and management.

Currently, the University does not have any sort of lecture capture technology except for in the University of Medicine and the medical building alone, according to the agenda.

“I believe that lecture capture is of exceptional benefit for the revision and general learning of all students, but especially those with disabilities or additional support needs,” Mr Carr said in an email statement.

The agenda also outlined lecture capture technology’s widespread adoption around the United Kingdom. In a survey conducted by the Heads of eLearningForum, “of the 94 institutions responding, 77 are already using lecture capture solutions."

The SRC agreed with the motion on the understanding that greater implementation of technology is necessary to remain relevant in the higher education sector.

“We believe as a Students’ Representative Council that increased use of technology, including lecture capture, is the strategic direction being undertaken by the wider higher education sector in order to enhance learning,” the agenda stated. “We would be saddened and disappointed to see our university fall behind others in the sector in its use of technology to enhance learning and teaching.”

Besides the benefits of implementing such technology, the SRC echoed that some obvious pitfalls, like lowered attendance or decreased attention in lectures, are not applicable to the proposed lecture technology for St Andrews.

“We do not believe that students will censor their academic ideas or discussions as a consequence of being recorded. Indeed we recognise that the only people who can access such recordings are people who would have potentially heard the material regardless,” the SRC stated in the agenda. “We believe that opt-out clauses are a sufficient protection for students who may have reason to not be recorded.”

Mr Carr assured that, in his remaining time as director of representation, he hopes to see this proposal through to actualisation.

“I hope very much that it shall pass through Academic Council in time for semester one 2017-18, and I shall do all that I can to ensure that the student voice is heard throughout the governance process,” Mr Carr said.

Before the official installation of

the technology begins, the SRC and SSC must first “mandate the director of representation/director of education to speak in favour of lecture capture at Learning and Teaching Committee” and “mandate the SRC faculty presidents, SRC postgraduate academic convener, and Association president to speak in favour of lecture capture at Academic Council,” according to the agenda.

Despite the optimistic outlook of the SRC and SSC, students seemed

more sceptical of the technology.

Emily Biasotto, a study abroad student from the University of Melbourne, had a mixed reaction to the proposal. Her home university has just recently allowed lecture capture technology.

“I like it because if I miss a lecture I can catch up, but also, if I need to review something, I can re-listen to it,” she said. “A negative is that lecture attendance decreases because people know it’s recorded, but I think

that a way to counteract that is to write on the whiteboard, which you can’t see on lecture capture. There are still mechanisms to incentivise attendance.”

Charlotte Hurton reacted similarly, saying lecture capture technology could be both positive and negative.

“If all of my lectures were recorded, I don’t think I’d go,” she said, “but if I’m in my lecture, I don’t have other distractions. At home, I have lectures or Netflix.”

Photo: Sammi Ciardi

PAIGE SMITH Deputy news editor

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

NEWS

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IN BRIEF

Association Joint Council holds marathon final meeting The Association Joint Councils held their final meeting on 14 February. The Students' Representative Council and Student Services Council debated a total of eight motions for more than three hours. The session resulted in a number of new policies and procedural changes.

SRC rejects anti-Trump petition The Joint Councils did not sign the petition but publicy supported its values JOSEPH CASSIDY Deputy editor The Joint Councils of the St Andrews Students’ Association have a made a statement endorsing the values of a student-led petition condemning US President Donald Trump and his controversial executive order on immigration while also deciding not to formally endorse the petition itself.

The petition was started following recent protests against Mr Trump in St Andrews and is specifically opposed to his executive order on immigration, which places limits on entry for people from seven Muslim majority countries.

The petition states, “We, the undersigned, stand united in our protest of the despicable and xenophobic executive order of the Trump administration, as well as its wider agenda against the Muslim community.

We stand united with our brothers and sisters, of all faiths and all belief systems, in the common conviction that bigotry, scapegoating, and fear mongering are an irresponsible and dangerous practice unfitting for any elected official to indulge in.

The undersigned Americans, additionally, point to the ‘Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965’ which clearly states that no person can be ‘discriminated against in the issuance of an immigrant visa because of the person’s race, sex, nationality, place of birth or place of residence,’ and observe that this law supersedes the 1952 legislative prerogative under which Trump justified his hideous ban.

Thus, this ban is not only immoral, it is illegal.

We request that the St Andrews

Students' Association reflect our concerns and make a statement condemning Trump’s executive order.”

The petition had 158 signatures at the time of its presentation to the councils.

A statement on the Association Councils Facebook page announced that councils had “reaffirmed the values of inclusivity and diversity that the petition submitted under the title ‘St Andrews Stands United’ supports. We encourage and support active student involvement in all matters they feel strongly about.”

However, the councils refused to actually endorse or sign the petition as a body.

Council members cited numerous

I would sign this petition myself, but I’m just not sure we should sign it as the SRC reasons for not signing the petition on behalf of the council itself, including the fact that some students may support Mr Trump and the travel ban and 158 signatures on the petition may not be representative of the entire student body’s opinion.

Rector’s Assessor Dylan Bruce said, “I’m not sure it’s necessarily our place to make a statement against

other people’s values.

I would sign this petition myself, but I’m just not sure we should sign it as the Student Representative Council (SRC).”

However, the petition was signed by several members of the councils individually, including Association President Charlotte Andrew, Director of Representation Jack Carr, and Director of Student Development and Activities Caroline Christie.

Speaking to The Saint after the meeting, Adam Strømme, who presented the petition to the councils, said, “My hope is that the petition starts a conversation, and in many ways it already has, but its purpose is only consummated in the realisation of concrete goals.

"A statement from the Joint Councils would be one thing. From the University, another. From the wider UK education system, a possibility I have been told exists, better still. But ultimately I think pragmatism suggests it would be best if the petition helped cement a conviction, even if only by reaction, that we must actively protect the diversity and inclusion here in St Andrews which makes our University so special.

“My hope is that students get more involved. Too often, people have a romanticised notion of what activism looks like. It doesn't always have to come with engagement with national politics: doing good is, in a way, a lot simpler than that. One protest or petition is not what changes the world, but ultimately all things that do start with things just like that.

Mr Strømme also discussed future plans for the group that organised the petition, St Andrews Stands United (SASU): "We intend to have a general meeting in the next few weeks to chart our

concrete plans for action and would love all the support we could get. It really just is a collection of students who care about these issues, and all who wish to help us achieve our

We encourage and support active student involvement in all matters they feel strongly about goals of a better world are welcome to help us figure out how best to do that," he said.

Mr Stromme added that, while he was the author of the petition, it would be “absurd to pretend I am the sole reason it came to be.

"We started it for the very reasons stated on the petition itself. The actions of the Trump administration are not just despicable but set a precedent that is uniquely dangerous, and the march wouldn’t have been possible if many other people didn't recognise that fact and feel compelled to act.”

A January protest opposing the Trump administration's travel ban on citizens of certain Muslim-majority countries attracted more than 400 student and resident participants.

The march was organised by the St Andrews Socialist Society and coincided with other anti-Trump protests across the United Kingdom.

Student fire causes hall evacuations The fire brigade responded to a fire on Queen’s Gardens last Saturday afternoon at 1:15 pm. Smoke could be seen billowing out of the windows and front door of 20A and 20B. According to reports, the house was a student property, and it was the occupants who called 999 to report the incident.

The emergency occurred just down the block from St Regulus Hall.

Select students were apparently evacuated from the hall as emergency crews dealt with the blaze. Queen’s Gardens was blocked off by the fire brigade while it investigated the cause of the fire.

SAASUM sees higher attendance, engagement The Saint Andrews Africa Summit held its third annual meeting on 18 February. The event was the most successful since its inception in 2015, with more than 80 undergraduate and postgraduate students attending to hear four keynote speakers.

This year’s conference centered on leadership and government in modern Africa. Presentations focused on sustainability, responsible governance, and equitable resource distribution in developing African nations. Notably, Sir Mark MoodyStuart, a former chairman of Shell corporation, presented to attendees.

More information and pictures of the event are available on the official Facebook page.

NUS advises no punishment for president after anti-semitism A National Union of Students internal review committee recommended that Malia Bouattia, the president of the organization, face no repercussions after she used anti-semitic language on multiple occasions. However, Professor Carol Baxter, chair of the review committee, did grant that an apology should be issued.

Among a multitude of other incidents, Ms Bouattia reportedly called the University of Birmingham a “zionist outpost” and refused to acknowledge Israeli statehood.

A Telegraph article identified that the result of the review has caused uproar within the ranks of the NUS. The University of St Andrews is not affiliated with the National Union of Students, having rejected membership in a 2012 referendum.

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

JONATHON SKAVRONECK

News editor

On 8 February, Students’ Association President Charlotte Andrew hosted a forum at Albany Park regarding the hall's upcoming redevelopment. The event was attended by members of the Albany Park hall committee and residents who wanted to engage with someone who would listen to their requests for more affordable housing.

The Saint revealed in early February that many students who currently live in Albany Park were angered by the University’s proposed overhaul of the housing complex because it did not provide an increase in affordable housing options.

The Director of Residential and Business Services called Albany a “ghetto” and insisted that having more expensive accommodation would solve that problem.

Albany residents hoped the forum with Ms Andrew would allow their voice to be heard.

Senior Student Linsey Welshman, who briefly ran for Director of Wellbeing this year, told The Saint she was pleased with the results of the forum.

“I was really pleased with Charlotte. I think she responded to [the forum] really well,” she said. “It's made me feel a bit more confident.

Hopefully, more will come from that than has from senior students talking to them in the past. […] Everything we said to her she's promised to take forward.”

Ms Andrew agreed that the forum

was a success, saying, “I think it was very useful and it was very productive, and I wish we started [holding forums] earlier.”

Although she was enthusiastic about student input, Ms Andrew admitted that many details were still unknown because the University is in the early stages of planning.

She elaborated, saying, “We are at the very beginning of the design process, so it was very useful to go to the forum to get views and opinions, but equally, there were very few decisions I could pass on that had definitely been made by the [University ...]. We had a lot of feedback as to what we do next.”

As a direct result of the discussion, Ms Andrew has started collecting personal stories from Albany residents to present to the “core group” in charge of the redevelopment.

She said of this effort, “I think that that will have more of an impact when they make decisions about prices. […] w Hopefully, it will ensure that the realisation is there that there are students here that would not be able to come to St Andrews if they weren't in Albany.”

Ms Andrew will also begin holding regular forums with Albany Park residents in order to garner continued input from those most affected by the redevelopment.

She and the Albany Park hall committee are in the process of planning the next event.

Construction on Albany Park is scheduled to begin sometime in 2018 and expected to cost £70 million. The complex will experience at least partial closure during this time.

Photo: Kylie Andrews

Association president hosts Albany redevelopment forum

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

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InFocus: the Association Electi ns committee

ning

y Gun

he Saint sat down with Charlie Maguire and Aine Bennett of the Association elections committee to discuss all of the behind-the-scenes work the committee does, the many changes that have been made, the elections process this year, and the importance of taking part in the elections.

Speaking of how she got involved in the elections committee, Ms Bennett said that “six members of the elections committee are co-opted from councils, so I volunteered to join in.

“I wasn't going to run for anything because I'm going abroad next year, but I get pretty excited about elections, so I wanted to be as involved as possible.”

Mr Maguire, however, is co-opted to the committee from outside the Association, “so I am basically just a student with no official job within the Association this year.” He does note that having previously been the Barron theatre manager, On The Rocks executive, and a duty manager for Freshers' Week means that he’s “clued up about the Union.”

With regards to the make-up of the elections committee this year, Ms Bennett explains the importance of diversity, saying, “We wanted at least one postgrad, someone who is on a Union subcommittee, someone who is involved in the AU, and a first year. Just because there is a bit of a perceived bubble around the Union, and that is something we would like to discourage and get more people involved.

“There is an elections committee convened in first semester to write the rules, and then that is dissolved in case anyone on that committee wants to run, because obviously it is so far in advance most people wouldn't have thought about that."

Speaking about the differences between running a campaign and being on the elections committee, Ms Bennett said, “I think the hardest thing is that, being on elections committee, you are not allowed an opinion. We have to be completely impartial because otherwise it is not fair at all.”

Mr Maguire added, “I've run two sabbatical campaigns, and I have noticed that this is more work than the sabbatical campaigns were.”

Ms Bennett, who has previously held the Association position of community relations officer, elaborated further, saying, “I think it does depend on the race how much it takes over your life, but this is a very interesting dichotomy of having that professional removal, yet it is still all-consuming and all you are thinking about is elections.”

In terms of their duties as part of the elections committee, Ms Bennett describes the main tasks when someone's nomination comes in.

She said, “You proof read it, you check their photo is the right way up, accept the nomination, send out a tweet, [and] send them an email with all the admin stuff they have to do. And then we're there all the time for any kind of enquiries or concerns people have.”

: Harr

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Mr Maguire explains their role as “basically to link up the committee itself with the sabbatical officers who are members of the elections committee but also have their day-to-day jobs to be doing as well, and link up the candidates with the press.”

He notes the added complication that “students start to interact with elections way before campaigning starts. So for us it's a case of trying to join all the dots together.”

Ms Bennett makes clear another important aspect of their role, saying, “There's also the discipline side of elections, so we're in charge of making sure people follow the rules.”

Discussing how easy they find it to keep on top of everything that is going on before and after campaigning begins, Mr Maguire makes clear that “it's a challenge,” and Ms Bennett jokes that she doesn’t “think we are going to get any studying done this fortnight.”

Mr Maguire explains that “this is the first time that two non-sabbaticals have been appointed as deputy senior officers. The thinking behind that was just to take a different perspective, and [let] people who can, theoretically, devote more time to the job be able to get more involved.”

Ms Bennett said they were asked earlier in the week if they would give the role back to sabbatical officers next year. Individuals asked “is it a fair amount of work to put on people while they are studying?” But in her opinion, “it is definitely doable. It just requires a lot of management. We’ve been told that we have gone above and beyond what is expected, but to be honest I don't think that either Charlie or I would be happy to do less. Especially because we both see the elections as being so important, I wouldn't want to do a half-assed job.”

Furthermore, Mr Maguire believes that the changes made to the elections committee this year have encouraged more people to get involved in elections “because we tend to keep the door open to the office, and quite often anybody who's outside of what some people perceive as the 'bubble' of the Union, if they see three sabbatical officers sat at the desk and they are in first year then it i,s fairly intimidating. So just having two normal people breaks that down a bit.”

Ms Bennett added, “It also helps that the office is bang in the middle of the Union this year.

I feel it is m u c h better t h a t people can just w a l k p a s t and be l i k e 'oh, I'll come in and l o o k on the wall and see who's nominated

Photo

HEATHER TAYLOR

and actually maybe I'll run for that, and while I'm here I can ask some questions.’'’

For Mr Maguire, having a bigger elections committee, increasing from 10 members last year to 21 this year, has been really important, as it

I think these elections have a much wider impact than most people realise “means that we can have people in more places, we can have elections officers outside the library, we can have them at more events, just basically to increase visibility.”

Another important change this year was the introduction of flyerless campaigning. However, this wasn’t an easy concept to agree upon, and Ms Bennett recalled the lengthy discussions in committee meetings.

“Everyone was like 'what does that mean? Can I have business cards?

Can I have bookmarks?' We had a forty minute debate about 'what if it is made o f

card? and should we set a size limit?'

So in the end we just decided on no paper.” Not only does this new rule help the environment, but Ms Bennett said it “makes campaigning more creative. It means candidates actually have to talk to you rather than just hand you a flyer, which, hopefully, should increase engagement.”

Mr Maguire points out that when issues such as these arise in meetings, “it requires us to think creatively to solve problems. We have had questions about pre-campaigning, when candidates have started their campaign early, and we have to determine whether it's intentional or unintentional.”

“We've had to develop a definition this week,” said Ms Bennett. “We’ve said anything that would change someone’s mind prior to the start of campaigning counts as pre-campaigning. It’s public knowledge that someone has been nominated, so you can spread that information but not express an opinion that would influence someone until campaigning officially begins.”

Moving on to discuss the voting process, Mr Maguire explained that when voting opens on Thursday, “every student gets the chance to vote for all Association positions, so that includes sabbaticals, association officers, [and] members of the SSC and SRC. Then there is the slightly separate election which is for the school presidents, so every student within a certain school gets to vote for that president.”

Mr Maguire goes on to share a lesser known fact: school president votes are “based on your credits within that school, so I'm a management and international relations student, and this semester I'm doing thirty credits in international relations and twenty credits in management. My vote in the school of international relations has a slightly grander weighting than my vote in the school of m a n age-

ment. It just means that voting is a better reflection of people in each school.”

When voting closes on Friday at 5 pm, Mr Maguire suggests that the committee members are “all going to run and hide.”

While he acknowledges that with the voting system being single transferable vote, counting up the votes is a very time consuming process.

However, “it does make a big difference, and it is a great reflection of what people actually want.”

Results start coming in at 8 pm on Friday, and Ms Bennett draws particular attention to the Elections Bop that begins after the sabbatical results have been announced. While results are live tweeted, meaning that students don’t have to come to the Union to find out who won each race, Mr Maguire added that “we would love them to [come] because it is a great night out afterwards. It’s a celebration, and hopefully good things will happen.”

Ms Bennett and Mr Maguire both agree that people voting is something worth celebrating. Mr Maguire said that while “people always get worried about the outcomes of these things, I don’t.”

Ms Bennett said she too “has faith in the students of St Andrews.” For her, these elections are important because “I really think that the Students’ Association has a completely transformative effect on the students who are involved in it.” She believes that “it gives you these amazing skills that you wouldn’t get anywhere else, and you get opportunities to achieve incredible things through the Students’ Association.” None of that could happen without “the best possible people managing the association and leading these projects. I think these elections have a much wider impact than most people realise.”

Mr Maguire reveals the importance of taking part in student elections on a wider scale, saying that university “is the training ground for being grown-ups. This is a good chance to start to understand what makes for a good candidacy, why people get involved in things, and why issues matter to people. You learn to cook at university, you learn to make friends, so you should learn about voting as well.”

VIEWPOINT

Viewpoint editor: AMY ELLIOTT Deputy editors: Henrietta Dow, Claire Fogarty, Lewis Frain, Max Waller

viewpoint@thesaint-online.com

thesaint-online.com/viewpoint

@saint_ viewpoint

Tories: the fight against Trump is yours too

“Why do liberal lefties cling to these unlikely heroes such as Bercow?” spluttered Rod Liddle in a recent article for The Spectator, incredulous that thousands of his fellow Labourites were finding solace in the actions of “pathetic, bourgeois, right wing, halfwits.” The Speaker of House, one-time petulant member of the anti-immigration Monday Club, had taken the centrist liberalism of his maturity to a new level through a very public defenestration of the suggestion that Donald Trump might address both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall on his impending state visit. Hence the ire of Liddle, an infamous conservative blowhard. Liddle may have enjoyed concluding that the only reason for this cross-spectrum phenomenon was because “liberal lefties” have “nothing left to cling to” aside from centre-right “elites” such as Bercow.

It certainly plays into his vision peddled on the BBC’s Newsnight of an incoming era that will rescind all the social and economic liberalisation of the past fifty years and revert us back to a pre-1968 state (a vision that has striking similarities to Steve Bannon’s 2010 “documentary” Generation Zero).

However, in doing so, Liddle has missed a rather problematic point of information: opposing Trump is not, and should not, be a solely left-wing affair. The “liberal lefties” of Liddle’s vitriol are simply big enough to embrace a putative political opponent such as Tory Bercow for the sake of a higher, more existential cause.

Modern British conservatism carries two strains of thought that place it in opposition to the doctrines of the forty-fifth US president . The first is that there is an ideological disconnect between many British Tories, especially those who inhabit the Ken Clarke wing of internationalist, free-market social liberals, and Donald Trump.

In his now-notorious declaration, Bercow exemplified what I am sure is a common sentiment amongst thousands in the Conservative Party. I do not feel the necessity to labour this glaringly obvious point any further.

The second strain concerns the historic constitutional conservatism of the Conservative Party as a whole.

Mainstream British conservatism is born out of the political philosophy of

I am aware that Conservatives are not instinctive protesters were to agree with the political direction of the current US administration (which is by no means inconceivable), he or she ought to be alarmed by the President’s neglect of the very underpinning of the body politic of Tory philosophy.

As a much more personal reflection, there is one more noteworthy discrepancy in the radio silence from especially the right of the British Conservative Party and its supporters.

The referendum on European Union membership and its aftermath has been couched in the language and imagery of the Second World War. Boris Johnson and Michael Gove were quick to respectively compare the project of the EU and pro-Remain economists to the apparatus of Nazi Germany. More recently, David Davis proclaimed in the Daily Mail that Britain’s preparedness to meet the challenges of the upcoming withdrawal negotiations was assured because we had been able to “cope with World War Two.” For the Brexiteers, it would appear, the high watermark, the unassailable zenith, of the British nation state was its valiant stand against fascism three-quarters of a century ago. Yet now, the same purported freedom-lovers lie spread-eagle in prostate, reverent submission to a flagrant suppressor of the free press who fulsomely praises

autocratic leaders such as Putin.

These are not just my own observations: one bemused Conservative participant in the St Andrews protest a few weeks ago tweeted that evening “I can’t for the life of me understand Conservatives who are pro-Trump.”

Nevertheless, the anti-Trump events I have read about and attended have been almost devoid of centrist Tory liberals, conservatives who believe in the unassailable quality of a nation’s constitution, and Brexiteers, who so enthusiastically cashed in on the culture inheritance of our defiant ‘Finest Hour’ against the sort of authoritarianism towards which Trump has exhibited tendencies.

So, where are all the Tory Trump protesters? It cannot just be Bercow and the one aforementioned St Andrean, surely? Why have the Conservatives left the opposition against such an urgent political development that grates against their alleged principles to so-called “liberal snowflakes,” “loony lefties” and “smug virtue-signallers;” in short, people like me? I am aware that Conservatives are not instinctive protesters, and do not have the same tradition of and infrastructure for marching as those on the left do. One only needs to have observed that bizarre and befuddling parade of support for Andrea Leadsom last summer to recognise how unnatural trampling the streets is for the average Tory. These are unnatural times, however, and there’s a first time for everything.

Undoubtedly, one root of this reticence is the opinion that it hardly seems right to criticise the policies and methods of a foreign leader elected legitimately by the democratic mechanism of his or her country, and that it is far better for the UK to work with the Trump administration than to fulminate from a safe distance. However,

all bilateral foreign policy is simultaneously domestic and global now. It is domestic because it is a reflection of what the national government of the day believes is a sufficient enough reflection of public will to ensure re-election (or at least prevent scandal). It is global because as images and ideas are exhibited and exchanged more rapidly and internationally than ever before, our response to the actions of other governments — especially if that government represents a top ally and the “Leader of the Free World” — illustrates to the world our values and our commitment to them.

On both these levels, as much vociferous, tireless and unified opposition as possible is required. On the former level, protest is even more potent if comes from supporters of the current party in office.

That said, it would be remiss to absolve the current protests and their organisers of all blame. Even in respect to a cause with as wide an appeal as opposing Trump, protests can be Tory-unfriendly zones. In actual fact, come to think of it, they can be unfriendly to all but the most ardent of left-wingers. Cast your minds back to the generally very encouraging demonstration here in St Andrews, arranged by the Socialist Society.

Who on Earth felt that the appropriate accoutrement for a march defending freedom of religion was the flag of the USSR? Who in the Socialist Society thought it wise, the day after organising an event attended by a broad church of socialists, social democrats, liberals and least one Conservative, to post an article on their Facebook page thundering “F**k Liberals” and calling for “No Unity With Liberals?” The Scottish Socialist Party released a video after a ‘Scotland Against Trump’ march in Edinburgh, at which I had been present. They were highly (and

disproportionately) visible, explaining that they were protesting “about the emergence and the domination of our lives by neoliberal politics” before even mentioning Trump.

If I were being charitable, I would propose that these incidents were examples of a failure to consider optics, which has been a chronic stumbling-block for the British left in recent decades. If I were being a little more honest, I would suggest that, for some socialists, the cause of anti-Trumpism has already been cynically manipulated into just another convenient strand of the noose with which to lynch capitalism. As sympathetic as I may, in theory, be towards such a project, right now what matters is volume and numbers – a show of collective strength and camaraderie.

For all the official speak of inclusivity and solidarity at these protests, anyone to the right of a Milibandite like me (Ed, since you ask) is bound to begin to feel somewhat cold-shouldered and unwelcome.

Trump is big, but we can be bigger if we stand up to him with an indefatigable resilience and unity. For Tories, that means some serious intellectual reflection on what it means to be a British Conservative, and no excuses if that reflection leads to the conclusion that Trump ought to be resisted.

However, for everyone on the left, especially the more openly militant and vocal ones, the task is no less onerous.

We must stay on message, relevant and accommodating, ready to actually build some bridges with traditional foes and to help to form a broad but formidable coalition. Then, the likes of Rod Liddle will take note, realising that the reason why “leftie liberals” cling to unlikely heroes such as John Bercow is because he is incontrovertibly one of our allies, marching alongside the rest of us.

The views viewsexpressed expressed in in Viewpoint Viewpoint do The do not not represent representthe theviews views of of The TheSaint Saintbut butare areindividual individual opinions. opinions.

Illustration: Lindsey Wiercioch

Isaac Leaver il29@st-andrews.ac.uk

Edmund Burke and his theory of the ‘intergenerational contract’ between the dead, living and yet-to-be-born.

Therefore, it bears the brunt of the responsibility for defending the constitutional integrity of the nation state – the political corollary of any ‘intergenerational contract’ — as crucial to the optimal functionality thereof and as a bulwark against demagoguery and unchecked direct democracy.

Donald Trump, who issued a “travel ban” that was deemed unconstitutional by a rapid slew of federal judges, who took to Twitter to insult and undermine at least one of those federal judges, who still faces charges of flouting the Article 1, Section 9 (the “Foreign Emoluments Clause”) in the Constitution, is showing scant regard for the constitutional framework of the United States. Even if a hypothetical British Conservative

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

Devil’s Advocate

9

Is the Student’s Association a vital component of the University?

YES n a year where the manoeuvrings of political figures have somewhat sullied the spirit of democracy, the St Andrews student elections continue to be anomalous. Last year campaigning was fair, well-intentioned and rational. I’m hopeful this year will be the same.

I can safely say that when I ran, campaign week was the most high pressure period of my life (now I’d perhaps rate it alongside helping Taryn with Freshers’ Week and overseeing Raisin Weekend). It was also the most edifying.

Clearly, the outcome of a sabbatical election impacts your immediate future to a huge extent, but it’s the additional pressure originating from the hopes and expectations of others upon which all the sabbatical candidates rest. From family members, to friends helping on a campaign, to students you meet throughout the week who feel an affinity with your policies and priorities, each encouragement and message of support adds both buoyancy and burden to the race.

Coping with the strain of knowing you may be about to lose out on something you are truly passionate about, in public, is difficult. But learning to be resilient is an extremely valuable lesson.

Embracing the possibility that losing could very likely occur, and not permitting that fear to preclude leaping into the unknown is a defining moment I hope all students at the University of St Andrews – and elsewhere – experience. The possibility of failure is everywhere; our elections teaches students that it should not incapacitate them.

Student elections are not the sole means by which we learn this, but it is a particularly public variation on the theme. From the point of view of the bystander, too, there are values to be noted. St Andrews consistently has either the largest, or one of the largest, turn-outs in our student elections.

Engagement is high, enthusiasm pervasive and the levels of both innovation and talent is always impressive.

Personally, I found the work of members of my campaign team to be both inspiring and humbling. For every candidate, having so many people willing to believe in their ideas and their ability to carry them forward will always be both motivational and a solid foundation to their self-belief.

The dedication and creativity we see here year after year in elections proves that my own experience was by no

means unique; St Andreans have and will always highly value supporting each other in pursuit of their goals.

It’s a process I wish everyone could go through, despite the fact it’s not always enjoyable!

One of the notable characteristics of each generation throughout history is that, whilst at university, they were and are and, I hope, will continue to be idealistic, believing in the possibility of change. Candidates run on this every year, focusing on how to be better and never questioning whether it is possible or not. It’s how we ensure improvement is consistently sought after and how we know that to excel, we can never stand still. That’s one of the many reasons why universities are the pinnacle of social development. I think, perhaps, if we were to neglect elections, the belief students have in their own significance and their ability to influence the world would be diminished.

Directly experiencing the representational value and fickleness of democracy is an important process for young people to participate in.

Ensuring that each generation appreciates the benefits of voting and campaigning often relies upon individuals first experiencing those benefits in a smaller, more personal environment. The theory is that they (we!) will then extrapolate that to believing in the impact of general elections and their ability to influence the outcome.

My experience of student elections has been two parts rewarding and one part exhausting. That’s a valid description of my entire undergraduate career, and of my time as a sabbatical officer too. I know the candidates this year are motivated by a willingness to ensure as many students as they can reach have as excellent a time in St Andrews as possible, and benefit as much from our democratic processes as the current sabbatical team.

While it might be easy to get annoyed and frustrated at the endless bombardment from candidates in town and on social media during elections, the candidates do so because they are passionate about St Andrews and making this a better University for everyone. This is fundamentally why the Students’ Association matters.

Emily Allen

My experience of student elections has been two parts rewarding and one part exhausting. That’s a valid description of my entire undergraduate career, and of my time as a sabbatical officer too

“

I

Charlotte Andrew

There is a gap between what should theoretically be done and what can be done in reality

YES 42%

Number of votes cast: 274

NO 58%

Illustration: Flo McQuibban

W

ith the polls now open for positions in the Students Association elections, much of the university’s focus is on the candidates and who would be the best person for each position The Students’ Association is by no means a new institution, and one which has been engrained in the fabric of university life for many years. Yet with the election of the new sabbatical officers and student councils only just around the corner, it is interesting to consider the question of whether the electable roles are really all needed. How differently would the university function without them?

The principle Association positions consist of Association President, Director of Education (DoEd), Director of Wellbeing (DoWell) Director of Student Development and Activities (DoSDA), Director of Events and Services (DoES), and Athletic Union President and each caters to a different strain of university life. These positions are well known and publicised. Aside from these positions however, some of the other positions in the Student Representative Council (SRC) and Student Services Council (SSC) may seem less necessary. The more roles that exist to be elected into, the more superfluous each one may seem to become. It is possible that officers for university clubs and societies may seem rather unnecessary when one of the duties of the DoSDA is specifically to liaise and oversee societies and subcommittees.

Equally, one of the DoWell’s roles is to ensure that all students at the university have equal opportunities during their time at St. Andrews, their background notwithstanding. As positive as that may seem in theory, in reality such a position is hard to police. As upsetting a truth as it may be, it remains the case that discrimination and prejudice continue to exist in all walks of life. However, given the sensitive and private nature of such events, it is possible that derogatory comments or actions which negatively affect students’ well-being will never be reported. As far as students’ welfare is concerned, there is a wealth

NO of support present in Student Services and the Advice and Support Centre (ASC).

One of the roles of the DoSDA is offering career advice and support to students. The St Andrews Career Centre is very beneficial to those seeking advice about their future jobs - services offered include CV advice and Work Shadowing Schemes. As with the DoWell’s involvement in students’ well-being, it could very well appear that the DoSDA’s involvement with the issue of careers advice is, to an extent, seemingly superfluous. As such, it could seem as though there is job overlap between the Union roles and services already offered by the University.

The role whose specifications would seem to be completely separate from any other entity in university life, however, is the Association President. His or her roles are many and the aim of the position is to provide the best experience possible for students, but there is a gap between what should theoretically be done and what can be done in reality. The position of Social Responsibility that the Association President holds includes widening the diversity of students’ backgrounds, as St Andrews is the university in Scotland with the highest number of private school students. Yet in the last issue of The Saint, the vote on whether the university should lower entry requirements for underprivileged students came in at a resounding “no”. Furthermore, the number of private school students accepted to St Andrews has remained fairly constant (and high) over the past years and during the times of previous Association Presidents. Given that the elected candidate only spends one year in the role of President, it is difficult to engineer such drastic change in such a short space of time.

Do we actually need the Students’ Association? Certainly their roles are engineered with students’ best interests in mind, and rightly so.

Yet with so many ports of call for all manner of needs concerning students’ welfare available in the University, some of the roles carried out by the Students’ Association may seem, at some times, unnecessary.

Would the university be able to function adequately without them? It is impossible to know for sure. Will the new sabbs effectiveness be more so than the Students’ Association of 10, 50 or 100 years ago? We’ll have to wait and see.

Therepresent views expressed The views expressed in Viewpoint do not the viewsinof The Saint but are individual opinions.

VIEWPOINT

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Pewdiepie: a Voltaire for our age?

Why we should pay attention to the YouTuber’s faux-pas

T

his week has seen an unusual nexus between the mainstream media and the popular video-sharing platform, YouTube. This connection is, in fact, almost unheard of: the adults of the “real world” have largely dismissed the value of the platform’s content, derisively branding it as a breeding ground for often silly and irrelevant entertainment. This detachment was shattered on Tuesday when an article in the Wall Street Journal denounced YouTube’s leading star, Mr

It seems ironic that this craving for sensationalism has equally manifested itself in an over-sensitivity to controversy Felix Kjellberg — known worldwide as PewDiePie — for surreptitiously introducing anti-Semitic jokes and Nazi imagery into his video content.

Since the article’s publication, YouTube has severed its ties to Mr Kjellberg and has canceled an upcoming television show centred around him. These swift and severe measures have lent legitimacy to the claims made in the Wall Street Journal, and left the world not knowing what to think.

In a recent video, Kjellberg commissioned two young Indian men through Fiverr (a website on which one can pay individuals for various services) to hold up a banner reading “death to all Jews.” Presented like this, it is clear that such actions are unacceptable, and that they are in fact morally reprehensible. Yet Mr Kjellberg’s purpose, as manifestly expressed in the video itself, had little to do with discrimination: it was to ridicule the lengths to which people are willing to go in order to earn money online. Equally expressed in the video was Kjellberg’s incredulity at the fact

racism.

As we are well aware, words such as “hate” and “racism” have, of late, become buzzwords that are employed to discredit and shame people in often baseless ad hominem arguments. This is a problem that surpasses Kjellberg’s admittedly offensive (but ultimately harmless) remarks.

By introducing accusations like these into our daily vocabulary, we are collectively lowering our standards for what constitutes offence and, in so doing, obscuring real issues.

Our oversensitivity to controversy and our gradual neglect of information that is not somehow formulated as entertainment have thus deviated our eye from matters of importance.

For every carelessly offensive statement like Mr Kjellberg’s that is blown out of proportion in the media, we are ignoring an incident less attractive to the eye, but more serious. Despite real hate crimes being on the rise throughout Europe and the United States, their news coverage is slowly waning into nothingness while the internet is saturated, in the space of a few hours, with article after article denouncing Kjellberg for his normalisation of “hate.” Mr Kjellberg’s faux-pas has instantly revealed these insidious and terrifyingly relevant issues.

It is in this way that he reminds me of Voltaire, whose satirical novel Candide effectively put into perspective the moral landscape of his time, exposing the racism and sexism inherent in Enlightenment-era society.

PewDiePie is admittedly very different to Voltaire, and yet his work performs a similar function for us today as Voltaire’s did in the 18th century.

Voltaire’s traditionalist society largely suppressed his insight; we must not do the same for that which Kjellberg has inadvertently offered us. To do so is to exacerbate the oversensitivity of what has now become not a “snowflake generation” but a “snowflake” society, and to work directly against the progress that Voltaire and his Enlightenment peers fought desperately to realise.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Laurent Bélanger lllb@st-andrews.ac.uk

that the two young men accepted the offer in the first place.

Mr Kjellberg is, above all, an entertainer whose modus operandi is dry, hyperbolic, satirical humour. One of his most significant appeals is, in fact, his constant use of self-deprecating humour, especially with regards to his portrayal in the media. He has responded with frequency, for instance, to accusations claiming that he is little more than a greedy and power hungry individual by playing exactly this character in several of his videos. Yet, to those watching his entertainment, it remains clear that these are reactive façades rather than statements asserting his “true self.” Much like contemporary comedians — think Louis C.K. — Kjellberg has repeatedly sought to prod the boundaries of what is considered acceptable.

This was perhaps an extreme instance of Mr Kjellberg’s trenchant stunts, but placing the issue into factual perspective, it hardly seems justifiable to label the man himself an anti-Semite, not to mention a Nazi. And yet, following the piece in the Wall Street Journal there has been a flurry of articles reporting and analysing the incident, especially pieces portraying Kjellberg as a fascist and Nazi sympathiser. It has been blatantly ignored, however, that what little evidence the Journal called upon in its indictment of the YouTuber was grossly decontextualised. For instance, one striking image provided was that of Kjellberg in army uniform, nodding and smiling to a video of one of Hitler’s speeches. Unsurprisingly, it was never mentioned that the image was taken from a skit portraying YouTube’s “Heroes” program as a Nazi-like scheme, and that Kjellberg, of course, was in character.

This decontextualisation points to an issue that has begun to plague Western society: the intense focus on sensationalism, even in the face of fact. As Neil Postman pointed out in his 1965 book Amusing Ourselves to Death, our society is characterised largely by the form of our social discourse, a discourse that is slowly turning into mere entertainment. This past year has proven Postman’s argument beyond doubt: information has ceased to be interesting when it is not engagingly bite-size, actors are becoming political leaders, and we are hurtling toward a society in which the only thing of true relevance is what is playing on the television.

As a result of this terrifying trend, we have seen an epidemic of “fake news” that exists for the sole purpose of attracting attention.

It seems ironic that this craving for sensationalism has equally manifested itself in an over-sensitivity to controversy. This past week, the most serious accusations against Mr. Kjellberg have denounced his provocative jokes for normalising hate speech and

St Andrews’ nightlife: not a totally lost cause?

— some people may well be satisfied with what it offers — but surely there could be improvement.

Why not make themes broader — 80s, 90s, 00s, etc — or learn from the successes of the bigger events and al-

Lewis Frain lnf2@st-andrews.ac.uk

L

et’s face it: the nightlife is not the reason any of us decided to come to St Andrews. We may have a great collection of pubs, but generally, the tendency is to rely on the next ball or fashion show to have a ‘proper’ night out. Unfortunately, these are often marquee events which come at a cost. Relying on the big events to get us through is indicative of the already limited nightlife options having dwindled considerably even in the year and a half I’ve been a student here.

We all mourn the loss of the Lizard, the only place in St Andrews that we could seriously call a nightclub. It may have been small, and would be

the laughing stock of any city if it were based in one, but it did provide an almost guaranteed fun night filled with popular music that didn’t need to be cheesy from Iain, the DJ who became a local hero. The Lizard shutting down is a relative tragedy and the town already feels worse for it.

We now have only two club venues: the Vic and Club 601 at the Union. Their weekly fixtures, in my opinion, can be improved upon.

First of all, 601 has the potential to be a good venue and has been successful with packed events like Wiley (even if he did have a “mid-life crisis” and come on hours late) and Hot Dub Time Machine, but its resident events are largely uninspiring.

The BOP consistently books underwhelming themes for its Friday night, the biggest night of the week.

Case in point: the “Miley vs Nicki” night that was supposedly one of the “headline” events of Refreshers Week.

I appreciate that the Union has to put on popular music events to appeal to the general student population

low DJs to put on their own nights on Fridays in 601?

Hector’s House at the Vic has proven successful and offers a more unique night.

Once again, however, the volume of club events put on at the Vic is a little disappointing — it appears us students seem content with our nights out being a carbon copy of the one before.

The students have to be the ones taking control of this. An example of a promising event is the upcoming St Patrick’s Day party at The Rule, another venue that could probably profit from staging more events like this. It is an affordable event with a musical line up of an Irish band to fit the theme, followed by a DJ to turn it into a proper party night.

The potential of a packed venue,

Illustrations: Gabrielle Wolf

10

specially selected music, and a popular theme are truly encouraging.

Hopefully, this event will be a success and inspire more students to put on their own events to provide the St Andrews nightlife scene with some much needed variety.

The views viewsexpressed expressed in in Viewpoint Viewpoint do do not notrepresent representthe theviews views of of The TheSaint Saintbut butare areindividual individual opinions. opinions.

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

VIEWPOINT

11

Sex, drugs and self-control

Intergalactic Can Lent still be relevant in our hyper-consumerist, hedonistic culture? wonderings and wanderings

W

e live in an age of over-indulgence, complacency and gluttony. Our society is infected with consumerism and accumulation, and we have long since lost sight of our basic needs. The boundary between what is necessary and what is desirable has become so blurred that the two words are almost synonymous.

Our lives have formed around the social constructs which have been placed before us; the power of social media creates the illusion of the perfect lives we should be living, yet nobody seems to be living them. The result of this is that we are constantly seeking approval from others, trying to fit in, clinging like moss around the base of a tree to societal norms. Mass production is at an unfathomable rate and the ease of getting something we want is almost laughable; indeed, a mere couple of taps on your phone can purchase practically anything.

Sadly, this is the alarming reality of the state of our culture in present day society. If you told anybody about that, you couldn’t really blame them

to meditate or quit jobs just to finally get some pondering time (and for the record, I am in no way advocating a forty day fast). However, this is not to say that we cannot accept the significance of what it is all about.

What can be taken from the story is a message of willpower, mindfulness, reflection and self-restraint. Of course, actually achieving all of these things is no mean feat – it is made clear that even Jesus, the manifestation of God on earth, was tempted by a great many things – and it is part of human nature that we fall victim to temptation, but the importance is that we keep trying to make ourselves stronger in the process. Arguably we live in a time where this has never been more difficult, not least because of the immense pressures that are constantly placed on us, including the ideology that the more money and objects one has, the hap-

pier they will be. But, if anything, this only makes the message of Lent more relevant.

This time in the calendar is always a curious one. Some see it as a chance to have another go at the new year’s resolutions they broke on the day after New Year’s, some don’t eat during daylight hours, others don’t do anything but eat during daylight hours.

But just giving something up for the sake of it is not actually making a difference the long run.

Instead of refraining from the Dairy Milk and crisps, maybe use this time to exercise patience, kindness and reflection. Because it’s one thing turning around on 13 April and saying you haven’t had a doughnut in forty days, but if you could come out and say you’re a stronger person at the end of it, that’s something to really be proud of.

Illustration: Emily Lomax

Henry Ford hjf6@st-andrews.ac.uk

for wanting to spent a day away from it. Or forty.

Perhaps the Lenten period has become less valued over the years. Were we to go back a hundred years, more people would undoubtedly be aware of its meaning and values, and it may still be something more than just an excuse to feast on stacks of pancakes or temporarily give up chocolate, only to count down the days until you can eat it again. Of course, one has to accept that this ‘Chinese whispers’ phenomenon is a natural part of human social life; things never stay the same, and the real reason why events such as Lent are celebrated may eventually become irreversibly distant.

As you are probably aware, Jesus is said to have spent forty days and nights in the desert, fasting, meditating and enduring various challenges and temptations from the Devil. Now this is not a prelude to Christian dogma, a call to repent for one’s sins or a chance for me to create a new column entitled ‘Sermon in The Saint’. In a sense, it does not matter whether you are a certified Christian or an ardent atheist, one can still appreciate what is meant behind the story we learn about in Matthew 4:2.

Couldn’t we all just use a little time to step back and reflect on our lives, the state of the world and our places in it? Wouldn’t it be a novel idea if we took a few moments to think before we spoke or tried to reason before we acted?

I’m not trying to say that we should all self-certify from tutorials

Bring back wearing sweatpants to class The reality of living in a 24/7 fashion show is beginning to wear thin

Lila Velcoff lv25@st-andrews.ac.uk

I

’ve always been aware that St Andrews is not your typical university in that its massively privileged students seem to focus on high fashion on a day-to-day basis. I still remember the shock upon entering my first lecture in Buchanan in first year; I felt like I was walking into the pages of Vogue or GQ. My expectations for college attire pretty much consisted of sweatpants, hoodies, or maybe jeans and a T-shirt.

I’m all for dressing up, but I thought that going all-out was reserved for nights out. It didn’t take me long to realize that the library is St Andrews’s social hub, and nights out are actually, if anything, more relaxed.

Yesterday, I was on the phone, sitting on the steps outside of the library,

Where does this lack of acceptance and excess of composure stem from? to describe them, but suffice to say, Heidi Klum would be impressed.

I have one friend who is particularly gutsy with her apparel; she wears sweatpants to the library, to class, and all around town. You would think that even if people don’t choose to dress a certain way, they wouldn’t

care if someone else did. Well, in St Andrews, they do! She receives countless dirty looks and sometimes even comments from our reigning fashion elite.

Part of the community aspect of university is a sense of solidarity among the students.

What does this solidarity come from, if not a shared sense of comfort that you may not have your life together, but that’s okay, because your peers are in the same boat? We’re still all barely adults, and that’s okay — university is the time to figure it out. I don’t think I’m being overly idealistic to say that most universities are relatively judgment-free zones.

St Andrews should follow suit.

Where does this lack of acceptance and excess of compo-

sure stem from? It very well may be rooted in the competitiveness that is inherent in a prestigious university.

A perfectly groomed and unruffled exterior indicates an organised, confident, and successful lifestyle.

A sloppy or even a simply relaxed appearance has negative connotations; those who appear laid back can be perceived as lazy or unambitious, two qualities that do not have a place among the ranks of our distinguished university.

If the exclusivity of the St Andrews student population doesn’t come from competition, then perhaps it stems from the typical fear of being afraid to stand out. The domino effect is palpable, particularly in a small town. St Andrews probably wasn’t always so chic and upscale, but perhaps it’s endured one royal too many.

Plus, the fashion shows don’t help.

Illustrations: Austin Morin

and the stylishness of the student population hit me yet again. It’s more than just the typical Barbours and Sperrys; every student that walked by me was impeccably dressed, from their double-cuffed jeans to their neatly pressed shirts. Honestly, I don’t know the fashionable trends well enough

Henrietta Dow hdd@st-andrews.ac.uk

B

y now, most of us have probably heard about NASA’s discovery of what they’re calling a “sister solar system.” Around 39 light-years away from Earth, a star called TRAPPIST-1 is the center of orbit for seven planets which appear to be structured similarly to Earth. What is particularly interesting is that three of these planets lie within what scientists estimate to be a “temperate zone.” This refers to an area where there is a distinct possibility of the existence of water, which, to make a presumptuous jump, could mean extraterrestrial life.

One of the first thoughts I had after reading this news was, “Well…how do we get there?” The suggestion of habitable planets far across the galaxy conjures up Star Wars-esque imagery – a vast empty space of possibility, ripe for exploration. How incredible would it be to expand our relatively

Where would we even begin with the ethics of such an endeavour? small view of the universe?

But then, a second thought: “What if there’s already some form of life there?” What would something like that mean, to discover an entire planet of living beings previously foreign to us? As a species systematically killing off our own home, undoubtedly one of the first questions we’ll want to answer is, “can the planet foster human life?” - the existence of native beings would complicate that immensely.

Where would we even begin with the ethics of such an endeavour?

Of course, these are all questions that leap far ahead of any knowledge we currently have on these new planets. Personally, I never thought that something this monumental would be discovered in my lifetime, and will actively be following any updates.

This is something to be excited about; our small species has come so far in our short existence, and already we’re looking to worlds far beyond our own. Look out, universe, the humans are coming.

The views viewsexpressed expressed in in Viewpoint Viewpoint do do not notrepresent representthe theviews views of of The TheSaint Saintbut butare areindividual individual opinions. opinions.

VIEWPOINT

12

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

An end to private ownership, vive la révolution!

St Andrews is in dire straits. You read this in the middle of one of the most severe housing crises any parish town has had to face. Around this time of the year, Freshers learn the true meaning of frustration, brought on by the chronic lack of suitable accommodation and the copious amounts of paperwork those letting agents feel is necessary.

It was during this time of intense adversity that I felt I had to re-evaluate my politics. Capitalism has failed us. If such a system has led to the possibility of a dreaded return to halls, or worse, having to settle for a house within 5 minutes of the wretchedness of Albany Park, then it must be changed.

As we know, desperate times call for desperate measures. And so, we must put an end to private ownership

However, we must also be careful to preserve some of the most grand buildings in the Socialist State of St Andrews, as the political leaders need somewhere to live of course. We must also renovate these buildings and add more gold — this also brings employment for the students of Educational Institutions No.3, thus boosting self-esteem.

The ruins of the cathedral and castle will also make excellent building materials for a new set of accommodation blocks in St Salvator’s Quad — this shall be named St Marx’s Hall. All other University halls shall be named after those who have furthered the cause of our shared prosperity. DRA will become Corbyn Hall, ABH to Trotsky Hall, and so on. Albany Park needs no further alterations — it is in fact the blueprint for all future developments. High Command will issue all students with accommodation in the fairest possible way — i.e. those with parents in the officialdom will be treated even more fairly.

This way all students of Educational Institution No.3 will equally share in the prosperity of the Socialist State’s housing boom. Glory for St Andrews!

Money will no longer be an issue.

In this utopian world, there are no tuition fees and no living costs, and no

The fortnight’s goings-on: a recap

MAX WALLER

N

ew Labour is resurrected, UKIP dies and Corbyn made a speech about the NHS. In the past couple of weeks Tony Blair has returned to the political frontline, we have discovered that UKIP’s leader Paul Nuttall doesn’t know what’s on his own website, while Corbyn’s speech about the NHS was eclipsed by Tom Watson’s dab.

Firstly, Tony Blair decided that the time had come for his return. No – he had not come to save Labour from Tony Benn’s political successor, but to tell the nation that the present move towards Brexit, “Brexit at any cost” is bad for the country. We should not forget the “promises” – read lies – made by both sides of the campaign.

How can leaving the single market go from being catastrophic for the economy to an opportunity to ‘Make Britain Great Again’, with us acting as a bridge between Europe and the USA – when we won’t even be in Europe anymore?

In short, Blair is making a very important point that still needs to be made in spite of the Referendum result: Brexit is not in the interest of the United Kingdom. There will be less money for the NHS, less money for schools and the present parliament will not get anything done while it focuses on our exit. We will have less money from trade after we leave and still have to pay for access to the single market without any of the benefits – not to mention the devaluation of the currency. The people who voted leave may come to realise this, or

they may not – but as Blair concludes, apparently won’t win any seats now there is nothing we can say for certain because their leader Paul Nutall about Brexit. The will of the people doesn’t know what is on his own can change, and Brexit does not have website, which at the time of writto happen. Leave may have one the ing is down for “maintenance”. He first battle, but they have not won the lied about having lost close friends war. If you are open minded, irreat Hillsborough and about having a spective of your own stance on Brexit, PHD. In fact, though he had been at I would recommend reading Blair’s Hillsborough, he had not lost anyone, speech just so you can weigh up the and though he had started a doctoroptions for yourself. ate in 2004, he never finished it. How Now on to the present state of exactly this is meant to help UKIP’s the Labour Party: it can be summed credibility is unclear. For a party that up very simply by the reaction to has hardly won any seats to successTom Watson’s ‘dab’, which he later fully have its main policy implementclaimed was an “accident.” ed by the government, a referendum Personally I doubt this, it was on Europe, and then win, is pretty improbably designed to get the Labour pressive, and pretty stupid if you’re party some column inches, because, the pro-remain government. UKIP, as usual, Jeremy Corbyn failed to like Labour, has served its purpose draw blood at PMQs over the issue and wound up with an incompetent of the NHS. This is a pity - we have party leader. never had more need of a strong The difference is that UKIP is a opposition. fringe political movement, not Her Not just to make sure that the form Majesty’s official opposition - and reof Brexit that is implemented is good ally, who cares if Paul Nutall resigns for all parties, but so that the governanyway. ment is held to account with regards We know that for UKIP leader’s to everything else it is meant to be resignations don’t often mean that focusing on. Labour needs a you have resigned. new leader or it needs to be In the end, Labour fought Nutall replaced by a party present off in Stoke but couldn’t hold across the nation which is back the Tories in Copeland. This actually capable of forming should have bee an easy win for a government.

Labour, and the fact that they failed Finally, let’s suggests that they need new look at what’s leadership. However, I happened to would bet Corbyn will Paul Nutall resist any pressure to and the Stoke resign – he probably Central and won’t even resign after Copeland Labour loses the 2020 by-elecelection – but until he Photo: Wikimedia Commons tions. UKIP goes, Labour is in crisis.

need for the horror of a trip to Tesco — the state will liberate us from all such burdens. Free from the oppression of private landlords and greedy corporations, we will be able to flourish in a future fair for all.

In addition to this, champagne will be on tap in all university buildings.

This is of course an incredibly important measure, as currently, only the privileged are able to drink champagne whenever and wherever they wish. And so, making it more accessible will remove this unacceptable social disparity.

Next, we turn to the question of who will lead our great Institution and State. I can see only one contender for principal: Len McCluskey, a militant leftist and a man who has

done a lot of excellent work, particularly in the South-East of England.

Moreover, Catherine Stihler must be replaced as Rector by John McDonnell on the grounds that she is not leftwing enough. And finally, for our ever-victorious, iron-willed commander, Peter Taaffe. Formally the leader of Militant Labour and the Socialist Party, he is the perfect incarnation of the appearance that a leader should have.

I have confidence in these great leaders to bring us out of the dark ages of capitalism, to avert a housing and champagne apocalypse, and to bring hope to us all.

Socialism has not only saved us from the crisis; socialism is the light that guides us to prosperity and glory.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Elliot Barker ejb28@st-andrews.ac.uk

and triumph over those money grabbing landlords. The solution is simple: we must turn the town of St Andrews into a socialist state.

Socialism has had some bad press, but we shall try again! After all, they say one hasn’t failed until one gives up, and so we shall not give up. This brilliant solution starts with rebranding the University to “Educational Institution No.3” because the current name has with it an image of elitism and inequity.

Next, we move to the heart of the matter: the question of housing. As I write from the New Golf Club, looking out across the Links, I cannot help but wonder, “what a ridiculous waste of land.” Wave after wave of overweight, privileged, predominantly white men hacking up the turf only help to further compound my belief.

We should abolish this playground for the elite (although keep the New Club as it is, of course). These men should be in the factories, not hitting white balls around a field.

Paving over the Links and building accommodation blocks is the solution to this outrage. Of course the houses would all have to be identical as well as grey in colour so as not to cause envy. The R&A building, however, must remain the same, as it would make an excellent High Command.

Trump Corner

ELLIOT BARKER

tral feature in the President’s election campaign; however, big cracks are starting to emerge in the plan.

Breaking News: Donald Trump is still Washington bureaucrats are reportalive and tweeting. That is all you edly resisting the idea and Congress need to know, really. As we approach is hesitant to fund it, leaving the presthe 50th day of the Trump presidenident fighting a lonely battle to keep cy, the pattern of behaviour from his campaign promise. Thus, instead the leader of the free world has been of a 2,000 mile “big, beautiful wall,” that of a constant stream of lies and President Trump may just end up falsehoods. with a fence covering a few hundred In fact, at the time of writing, he miles. has averaged four incorrect or misPresident Trump has also slippedleading statements a day, including up over anti-Semitism. In a press conseven on his first day in office. This is ference with Israeli Prime Minister odd really, considering it comes from Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump was the same person who described “fake asked about a rise in anti-Semitic news” media as the “enemy of the crimes following his election. Instead people.” of condemning these crimes, he deIn the past few weeks, President cided to respond by boasting about Trump has unsurprisingly continthe size of his Electoral College vicued to spout this kind of nonsense. tory and acknowledging that his In the latest example of ill-informed, daughter, Ivanka, and her husband incoherent, totally incomprehensible are both Jewish. verbal diarrhoea, he thrice repeated In a recent press conference, the false claim that Hillary Clinton Trump was asked a similar question, gave Russia 20 per cent of US uraniwhich he branded “not a simum. Helpfully, however, he gave us ple question, not a fair all a lecture in physics, saying “You question” and telling know what uranium is, right? This the reporter to “sit thing called nuclear weapons and down.” He followed other things, like lots of things this up by claiming are done with uranium, including he is the “least ansome bad things.” So there you go! ti-Semitic person that Cause for further you’ve ever seen in embarrassment your entire life,” oh, for the President and, the “least comes as Mexico racist person.” hosts its first But please high-profile remember, Donald Trump this news, like envoy. The US– so much other Mexico border news apparPhoto: Wikimedia Commons wall was a cenently, is fake.

The represent views expressed in Viewpoint do but not are individual opinions.

The views expressed in Viewpoint do not the views of The Saint

thesaint-online.com/money

money@thesaint-online.com

Photo: Cameron Tisshaw

MONEY

Money editor: David Hallengren Deputy money editors: Eden Elliott, Acacia Beaton @saint_ money

WORK SHADOWING FOUR STUDENTS SHARE THEIR STORIES AND WISDOM W

ork shadowing can be an amazing, enriching experience. These students share their stories, weigh the pros and cons, and offer advice on making the best of a placement.

CAMERON TISSHAW Fourth-year IR My work experience visit during the winter break took place onboard the Royal Navy ship HMS Ledbury.

The visit was based at the Royal Navy base in Portsmouth for three days and included two days at sea.

HMS Ledbury specialises in countering the threat of underwater mines and is currently training for future operations. The ship recently came under the command of Lieutenant-Commander James Harkin, a St Andrews graduate. Gaining the chance to shadow the captain and crew onboard a ship like the HMS Ledbury is an invaluable opportunity for those aspiring to join the Royal Navy.

As someone who had little experience with the Royal Navy, this visit provided me a practical insight into the often-exciting life of a naval officer. Whilst on board HMS Ledbury, I got to watch a live firing training exercise. Additionally, I gained an understanding of the different equipment divers used for countering the threat of mines.

Despite sailing in rough weather, I quickly became accustomed to life at sea and began to understand the varied roles of officers. Learning about the different specialisations offered by a career in the navy has inspired me to pursue a career as a warfare officer.

As an international relations student, I was very interested to learn about the previous deployments HMS Ledbury’s crew had been involved with. I particularly enjoyed finding out more about the Royal Navy’s unique traditions and terminology.

Most costs involved in this opportunity were related to travel, as accommodation and food were provided during the visit. My advice for those considering a visit like this is to find out as much about the application process as possible from the crew on board. All the officers had experienced a similar entry process and provided excellent advice for applications. I would thoroughly recommend this visit to other students thinking of a career in the Royal Navy.

JAKE MASSEL Fourth-year maths I’m currently on a five-year maths degree. During the January break, I shadowed a judge at the Federal Court of Canada in Toronto over a period of one week.

Justice Simon Fothergill was presiding over a hearing for a longstanding patent trial between chemical companies Dow and Nova, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to sit in on the proceedings.

I applied for this particular work shadowing experience because I am interested in attending law school in North America after I finish my degree. I knew from the start that this would be a unique opportunity to gain real insight into the legal profession and to hear firsthand from a St Andrews alumni with years of experience in both the federal judiciary and private practice.

I became acquainted with Justice Fothergill over dinner the night before the trial. We discussed some of the successes and challenges of his career path, his experiences in law school, and the qualities he believes earned him his appointment to the federal court.

Due to the specialist nature of the disputed patent, it took me some time (and lots of coffee) to read through the

background material. Nevertheless, over the following days my host discussed some of the key legal issues at hand over lunch, and at the end of the week I left Toronto with a clear picture of what doors might be open to me should I decide to pursue a career as a lawyer.

In summary, this program is a fantastic way to evaluate whether a career path is right for you. It will put you in touch with alumni of St Andrews who have been through this fine institution before, and who can offer invaluable advice and contacts.

SOHEEL SAJEED Second-year econ/maths Unless you have no doubt about your future career, work shadowing will provide much needed insight.

Even if you feel certain, seeing the job on a daily basis may reveal it is not for you sooner rather than later.

On the positive side of things, work shadowing gives you a realistic view of what the job is like. It allows you to see whether you can envision yourself doing something similar in the future. Is it what you expected?

Does the person seem happy with their job? Do you want to have their lifestyle?

Furthermore, shadowing is an incredible opportunity to network and learn how to apply skills you have learned, as well as gauge what new skills you may need to pick up. It also strengthens your CV; experience makes you more likely to obtain a future internship or job. Finally, shadowing is quite enjoyable. Everyone is lovely and happy to help and answer questions (having you around makes their day less monotonous).

On the downside, it is expensive.

The placement is rarely where you find yourself over breaks, so hotels and trains will probably need to be

booked. Try to cut costs in any way you can, such as asking friend if you can stay over. I got an expenses refund for a placement, so definitely ask if that is a possibility.

It is incredibly important you tailor your application to both the company and the position; do not make it seem generic. This is why the Careers Centre recommends applying to no more than three. In the cover letter, write down realistic expectations of what you want to get from the experience. In most cases you may just be observing, although you might be given minor tasks.

Finally, when contacting the host, be honest about your constraints.

They are usually very flexible with dates and times.

Currently no other university provides these opportunities, so I would fully recommend you give it a try.

KERRY DOUGLAS Third-year psychology Being interested in child development and early learning, the nursery placement was the first of the shadowing opportunities to jump out at me. I detailed my interest in my application and noted that I was eager to work with children with suspected autism or other developmental disorders.

When I arrived at the nursery, the leader had a number of children identified for me to work with throughout the week.

For anyone considering a career in childcare or support, this experience is extremely beneficial. I not only observed the daily activities of childcare professionals but had the opportunity to plan and run my own drama and movement workshop with the children. I also learned a whole load about dinosaurs (and yet was put to shame by a three-year-old). If you’re considering doing some shadowing

within an early-learning environment, my one piece of advice is to get involved from the get-go. The term shadowing in this case can be deceiving, because my week consisted of very little sitting and watching and a whole lot of getting involved.

I also had the pleasure of an informal meeting with Chris Lusk, director of Student Services, to discuss prospects in a career in mental health and student support. Not only did Chris give me a wonderful overview of how she ended up heading the vital support network here in St Andrews, but she also gave me a push in the right direction to help me consider my steps after university, suggesting career paths that I had never really considered. Whether you’re taking a more hands-on placement or an informal chat over coffee, arrive with questions in mind, know exactly what you want out of it, and most importantly, be ready to make those key connections that will be so beneficial after university.

SAM ROSS Work shadowing and Santander summer internships coordinator The Work Shadowing Programme offers unique work shadowing opportunities to all students and is unlike any other work experience programme. It links students with alumni, staff, and friends of the University every winter, spring, and summer break, which can lead to graduate jobs, references and even a change of career. The beauty of the programme allows students to get a one-time look into an industry (or three) of their choice, and I would highly recommend all students apply.

Applications for summer shadowing opportunities open after spring break.

MONEY

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Quants: bringing algorithmic trading to the Bubble ACACIA BEATON Deputy money editor This semester, St Andrews welcomes the foundation of a society that appears to be the first of its kind in a Scottish university (Cambridge beat us for first British uni.).

The Quant Group St Andrews is a small congregation of students working to build algorithmic models for use in financial trading.

A quantitative analyst (a quant, in financial jargon) is a person who specialises in the application of mathematical and statistical methods to financial and risk management problems.

The group was founded by thirdyear maths student Nikita Fadeev, who dabbled in algorithmic trading on his own after an internship in financial services. He reached out to students within the mathematics department who had similar experience in algorithmic trading; the result was the genesis of an exciting new endeavour with fellow maths students Andreas Shahverdyan and Andi Afezolli. The three founding members are all keen traders, experienced in maths and quantitative methods and eager to write their own models.

So, what is algorithmic trading?

Mr Shahverdyan explains that the group defines a set of rules for the algorithm, including when to invest and trade. A computer will follow these rules to generate profits at a speed and frequency impossible for a human trader.

“It’s not going to be humans making any decisions whatsoever.

Everything will be fully automated,” he said.

The algorithms will eliminate the need to operate on “gut feeling” and follow clear instructions from programmers instead. Choosing when to buy or sell (high or low), take a loss, or drop the stock becomes infinitely easier.

The Quant Group will be building advanced mathematical strategies that aim to emulate and improve on the methods of Wall Street professionals.

Using “Quantopian,” an online platform, they will write their algorithms in Python, a programming language familiar to many computer science students.

The founding members want to create a small group of five or six students. Over the next few months, they plan to build the models, drawing on the different skillsets that each member brings to the team. They have recently been conducting interviews with students who have a professed passion for finance and some prior experience with trading.

Most applicants come from quantitative backgrounds: the nature of the required maths, statistics, and programming skills has meant that the group has attracted mostly maths and computer science students. This larger pool has been whittled down to five applicants, of whom three or so will be asked to join.

The Quant Group’s founders are eager to assemble a small group of students and build a strong foundation. Over the course of the semester,

It’s not going to be humans making any decisions whatsoever.

Everything will be fully automated they plan to develop their organisation, building such rudiments as their constitution and website (coming soon), as well as their first algorithmic models.

The real work will begin after this summer.

Once the organisation has established itself, the founders plan to seek sponsorship from various hedge funds, banks, asset management, and proprietary trading companies. The ultimate goal is to then have a pool of funds from sponsors that the group

can trade using their own, fully automated systems.

The group is also keen to put on trading seminars to bring in more inexperienced members and share members’ unique skillsets with the student body.

The idea of trading with initial sponsorship funds and eventually reaching self-sufficiency is not dissimilar to the St Andrews Investment Society. However, this society plans to differentiate itself not only in the scale and method of its trading, but also in the motive of its formation.

The three founders want to build and grow a network of like-minded individuals that will be connected well after university. This isn’t just a society that one might casually join and dabble in, only to quickly forget once he or she has left St Andrews.

Instead, its founders want it to be a pool of people with specialist knowledge and talent, thereby allowing for tremendous professional exchange between members.

By its nature, most of the society’s members plan to go on to careers in the financial services, and the global character of the student body and this unique organisation together provide exciting opportunities for professional connections.

The group believes in the value of hands-on experience. A career in algorithmic trading usually requires a doctorate or postgraduate qualification. Gaining some basic experience and exposure to this level of training will give students an advantage in a competitive and growing field, hopefully assisting them in securing positions in hedge funds and asset management firms.

Given its size, the group is not Union-affiliated and has no plans or desire to pursue such affiliation. The vision of creating a strong foundation of students with experience and unique skills means that a large membership is not really necessary or even desirable.

While it is no longer accepting new members for the semester, keep the Quant Group on your radar. Its team is ambitious and by no means lacks skills or experience. The financial internship experience of the three founders and their extensive personal trading suggest they will create a strong group likely to fulfill the goals that they have set.

An affordable night out in Edinburgh

EDEN ELLIOTT Deputy money editor

Being stuck in St Andrews this spring break doesn’t need to keep you from having a good time. To branch out from the routine of St Andrews nightlife, it’s time to take advantage of what Edinburgh has on offer.

Unlike our calm backwater, the city is full of popular bars and clubs, as well as gourmet restaurants, live music, theatre, and dance. All of this is well within your reach, but in order to do all of these things without breaking the bank, there is a little bit of planning required.

The main challenge of a night out in Edinburgh is getting there. The bus, as students well know, is cheaper and slower than the train It’s best to keep the mode of transport consistent on the incoming and outgoing legs, as two single tickets for either will be more costly than a round-trip ticket.

A primary limiting factor is the lack of public transportation after eleven-ish, when the last train of the night runs, and, unfortunately, around the time when most urban nightlife is just getting started.

In light of this, there are three options when embarking on a night on the town with the help public transportation: make it an early night and catch the last train home; keep the party going until the first trains and buses start running again early the next morning (later on weekends!); or book a cheap bed in a hostel or an AirBnB and return unrushed and well-rested the following day.

The unmentioned fourth option is sitting on a train station bench through the wee hours of the morning, which is about as much of a buzzkill as you’re going to find anywhere, so plan ahead.

Before indulging in a night of dancing and drinking, a spot of dinner is both an enjoyable and advisable break.

The Bia Bistro in central Edinburgh is a local favorite and comes

recommended. The French-inspired restaurant adds a Gaelic twist to its creative and inspired dishes. The unique menu offerings are a great start to the night, and surprisingly affordable price points stave off guilt.

Once you’re full of delicious food, it is time for the main event of your evening: time to work off some of those prandial calories and hit the dance floor.

To further cut costs, visit night clubs with free entry, allowing you to instead spend money on enjoyable extras like food and drink.

Consider, for example, the Hive, one of Edinburgh’s most popular and central nightclubs, which is open seven nights a week and has no entry fee.

It is situated just off of the Royal Mile.

The drinks here flow freely and

The city is full of popular bars and clubs, as well as gourmet restaurants, live music, theatre, and dance cheaply, starting at as little as a quid.

Clubs in Edinburgh, in addition to being cheaper and offering more variety than their St Andrean counterparts, shut their doors later at three in the morning.

Once you’ve had your fill of dancing for the night, grab a kebab, falafel, or other late-night snack on your way to your crash pad.

This, along with a few glasses of water, will keep a fun night out from transforming into a nightmarish morning of regrets and aspirin.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Photo: The Quant Group

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

MONEY

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The interview, demystified On Wednesday 22 February, the Careers Centre held a workshop on interview skills. Pamela Andrew, a careers adviser, led the hour-long presentation. These are some of the biggest takeaways.

One of the most important things you need to do in an interview is create a narrative. The importance of a narrative is exemplified well by a common but frighteningly open-ended cue: “Tell us a little bit about yourself.”

Divided into pairs, we were asked to answer this prompt for our partner. Those whose responses stood out crafted a story rather than listing attributes. Starting with their childhoods and progressing onwards to university and work experience, they used the opportunity to express what motivated them and develop a rapport.

Dry answers of “I went to an international school and then chose to study at St Andrews,” for example, were trumped by answers like “one of the things I loved best about studying at an international school was how diverse my class was; the international student body at St Andrews was one of the main reasons I chose to study there.”

Applicants who understand the

nature and values of the organisation to which they are applying can use the opportunity to show that their values and those of the company are aligned.

Applicants to a multinational might subtly and indirectly express their love of diversity, while applicants to an NGO might demonstrate a passion for social justice.

When it comes to position-specific questions (“why are you the best choice for this job?” and the like), strong applicants know their job description well. A clue to the answer an interviewer is looking for is almost always hidden in the job posting.

Ms Andrew suggests using online software to make a word cloud of the posting that highlights some of the buzzwords, qualities, and skills the company is most looking for (incidentally, she suggests comparing this to a word cloud drawn from your cover letter to ensure they match up).

In answering these sorts of questions, it’s important to provide examples. Saying “I work well in groups” isn’t nearly as compelling if not followed up with a relevant story of a time you actually worked well in a group.

When providing an example, Ms Andrew advocated using the STARR method. This entails giving background on the situation and the specific task you needed to perform, recounting what your action was, and detailing the results and your reflections on the experience.

Of these five stages, the action phase of explaining what you did should take up the lion’s share of your time. When reflecting on the experience, it’s usually fine to admit shortcomings, so long as you explain how you’d address these if you were to face a similar scenario in the future.

As far as really tough questions go, it’s better to politely ask for a moment to plan a response than to blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

Dreaded questions like “what is your biggest weakness?” are really asking what you’re doing to improve your professional skills, so treat them as such. Start with an honest assessment of the shortcoming, but pivot towards the progress you’re making towards fixing that problem by the end of your response.

Google-esque questions like “how many piano tuners are there in London?” are increasingly out of vogue, but they are actually less scary than they might seem. These are nearly always designed to test your reasoning skills, and most, obviously, aren’t looking for a precise answer. Detail your thought process aloud, as that’s what they really want to know.

The most important facet in preparing for an interview, in the words of Ms Andrew, is “practice, practice, practice.”

In the first place, this means having a face-to-face mock interview with a careers counsellor or someone you know. Ms Andrew suggests trying it

out with someone who doesn’t really like you, as they won’t let you off the hook. Additionally, you can use the interview simulator on the Careers Centre website, which provides question prompts, records your timed response, and plays it back to you for review.

After thoroughly analysing the job posting as described earlier, you should also take some time to anticipate likely questions and game plan responses and examples per the STARR model. If teamwork, for example, is mentioned in the job description, it’s safe to assume that you’ll be asked about it in the interview, so

think ahead.

Finally, know the company. One of the main things an interviewer is looking for is a genuine interest in the organisation and in the industry, so if you can express what about their organisation excites you, it’s likely to pay off. Just like anyone else, Ms Andrews points out, employers like to be flattered (but don’t lay it on too thick).

Their social media pages, blogs, and recruiting websites are all great places to look for information.

There is a lot more to preparing an interview than any reasonable article can cover, so be sure to take advantage of the resources available.

Illustration: Lauren Holmes

DAVID HALLENGREN Money editor

Fife Council budget cuts spending, increases taxes

On 16 February, the Fife Council approved its 2017-2020 budget. Faced with diminished funding from Holyrood, the Fife Council’s new budget includes large cuts in spending and mild increases in council taxes.

In an announcement on its official webpage, the council anticipated £25 million in savings in 2017-18. The changes effected to achieve these savings are outlined in tables over five pages of appendices to the budget, which instead tally £17.7 in savings.

The reason for the difference in these two figures is not clear.

The cuts span the gamut of the council’s operations and are largely small-ticket reductions. The council describes its new budget as “a combination of efficiency savings, reduction in services, and increases in fees and charges” to address a funding gap of £29 million between the current cost of services and the funds available to the council.

The Fife Cultural Trust, for example has been instructed to review its subsidies to local theatres, saving £40,000 in 2017-18 and £200,000 by

2020.

One of the most notable changes is the redistribution of teachers around the council area to fill vacancies rather than hiring outright.

This change is envisaged to save £3 million The largest individual saver will be the new Enabling Change program, which examines ways of increasing efficiency through technology and new practices. This is to save £7 million in 2017-18.

Prior to the release of the budget, David Ross, leader of the Fife Council, suggested that nearly three hundred council jobs could be cut under the budget’s provisions.

Of most immediate relevance to the citizenry at large is a three per cent increase in council taxes. This figure is at the upper limit of new powers to raise taxes afforded to local councils.

It stands in contrast to the decisions of several other local councils that did not make use of these new powers. The leader of West Lothian council explained

its decision by noting the recognition “that finances remain tight for fami-

It is reasonable to expect that landlords will pass along costs in the form of inflated rents lies, not just councils.”

Fife’s increase, it is noted in the budget, was made to mimimise the needs for fur-

ther cuts, as it will generate “a further £4.6 million in savings.”

“We have consistently been told by people in Fife that they wouldn’t mind paying a little more to protect their local services,” the budgetary report explained.

This is not the only increase in council taxes slotted to take effect in near future. Last year, Holyrood passed a measure increasing council taxes on higher-value residences.

The Scotland-wide changes will see increases on the council taxes payable by houses in bands E-H. Houses in band E were valued from £58,000 in 1991, while band H includes all properties then valued above £212,000.

These increases range from £105 per annum on E-band residences to £517 on H-band residences (on average).

The three per cent increase on council taxes ordered by the Fife Council will be based on these revised rates and is scheduled to go into effect this April.

As students residing in private residences will know, full-time students at the University are not usually subject to the council tax during term time. However, as the University’s resources on council taxes indicate, landlords who rent to students in their own domicile (ie, in the landlord’s house) are still subject to coucil taxes. In such cases, it is reasonable to expect that landlords will pass along costs in the form of inflated rents.

Illustration: Gabrielle Wolf Illustration: Gabrielle Wolf

DAVID HALLENGREN Money editor LUCIUS REIBEL

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VERONICA FARAH

n light of recent international affairs, the topic of equality for all has risen to the top of the list for discussion. And with International Women’s Day coming up on 8 March 2017, it is an appropriate time to look at how gender equality in St Andrews has changed over the years, if it has at all. To find out, The Saint spoke with representatives of several student societies that actively champion gender equality and women’s rights.

The University has often been at the forefront of women’s rights in higher education. In 1876, for example, the University Senate approved an education scheme called “Lady Literate in Arts examination” that required women to pass five subjects at ordinary level and one at honours. This was equivalent to the MA degree that men were able to take at that time, but it was only formally recognised as a university degree under the Universities (Scotland) Act in 1889. Compared to Oxford and Cambridge, which did not formally award women degrees until 1920 and 1947 respectively, St Andrews paved the way forward for women’s education.

Agnes Forbes Blackadder became the first woman to graduate from St Andrews, earning her MA in October 1894. She went on to receive an MD from the University of Glasgow and became an eminent dermatologist in London.

Ms Blackadder started her course at the University in 1892, making St Andrews one of the first universities in Scotland to admit female undergraduates.

In response to the increasing number of female students at the University, the first women’s hall was built in 1896.

Named University Hall, it was the first women’s university residence in Scotland.

While University Hall is now a mixed hall, the Wardlaw wing continues to cater to female students only.

The University has always been active in the fight towards gender equality. Nevertheless, it only installed its first female principal, Louise Richardson, in 2009, 120 years after women were first admitted to the University.

Does St Andrews support gender equality and female rights today? At first glance, the answer is yes. Three of the four members of the University Council are female, and three out of five Students’ Association representatives are female.

Looking a t the student popul a tion i n 2014, 57.8 p e r cent o f

students were female, up from 55.8 per cent the year before.

In a recent interview with The Saint, Catherine Stihler, rector of the University, said, “We’re very lucky actually because we’ve got not just the principal and the rector, but you’ve also got the president of the Students’ Association and also the senior governor of the University. So you’ve kind of got four women at the moment, and I think that’s just great. I think it’s great to have positive role models. It’s great to see that you can rise to the top in an organisation [and] you can work hard and achieve things.”

Principal and vice-chancellor of the University Professor Sally Mapstone is also a vocal supporter of gender equality, and in her 2016 installation address she pointed out that “women have contributed a great deal to this university, but they are often obscured within our narratives.”

Professor Mapstone has been actively involved in furthering gender equality, and during her time at Oxford, she launched a mentoring scheme for senior women and organised a major series of lectures by “Women of Achievement.”

for the gender imbalances within academia, where male professionals tend to dominate the most senior positions. That being said, this gender gap is not as pronounced at St Andrews, with 49.6 per cent of University staff identifying as female in 2013.

“There are many reasons to be hopeful when it comes to gender equality within the Students’ Association and the University, but that does not mean we can stand still,” Ms Andrew said.

“Outside of the principal’s office, those in senior positions are disproportionately male, especially in the sciences and medicine. Obviously, this is not unique to St Andrews, and I have seen a clear and strong commitment to gender equality within the University over my year so far as president.”

Danielle Golds, a student women’s rights activist at the University, agrees with Ms Andrew. Ms Golds believes that certain schools, such as the school of philosophy and the school of chemistry, are more likely to hire males in senior positions and females in support staff positions.

As Jo Boon, coordinator of the University of St Andrews Feminist Society and founder of Label, said, there also are clear gender di-

ism (including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan), says there are many “brilliant, empowered women who work to give opportunities that they’ve been given to other women” and believes that it is a “really exciting” time for St Andrews.

Chloe Basu, president of Women in Office, a society that focuses on removing gender barriers that exist in the workplace, wholeheartedly agrees with Ms Atwell, adding that during her time here she has felt supported in decisions by both students and staff.

In response to international affairs, particularly the US presidential election and the Brexit vote, Ms Basu, Ms Boon, Ms Adamson, and Ms Atwell agree that we should be turning our attention and focusing on the positives.

As Ms Atwell says, “the best ways to combat negativity in the world is through peaceful responses.” In the UK, we currently have a higher number of female members of Parliament than ever before, and our prime minister and Scotland’s first minister are both women. For Ms Basu, it is becoming “easier to find female role models now” than ever before, proving that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

But we cannot rest on our laurels just yet. The only way to continue moving forward as a society is for individuals in our generation to keep pushing the limits, to keep discussing the issues and putting forward new ideas. Here in St Andrews, it is fairly easy to stay engaged in the fight for equality, as most societies involved host a number of events.

The St Andrews Feminist Society, for example, hosts a discussion group called Blue Stockings, as well as a number of conferences that will be held over the next few months. Women in Office will be hosting its first ever conference in April, bringing speakers in from all over the country and a number of different industries to discuss the challenges they have faced and how they overcame them.

As part of a special celebration for International Women’s Day on 8 March, all the female societies at the University are planning on joining forces and hosting one large event. Details for this are still being worked out, but this promises to be an enjoyable and empowering evening for all.

It is true that, as a society, we have come far in recent years. But that does not mean we cannot continue improving. All six ladies urge students at the University to continue fighting for an equal society.

gender equality in the bubblE bubble Charlotte Andrew, president of the Students’ Association, believes that the University is strongly committed to gender equality.

In an official statement to The Saint, Ms Andrew said, “This is the first time in Scotland that there has been a University with a female principal, senior governor, rector, and Association president. It’s also the first year since there [have] been five sabbatical officers at the Students’ Association that it has been a majority female sabbatical team.”

The high number of women in senior University positions does not, however, show the full picture. There may be more female than male students overall at the University, but when the figures are broken down to undergraduates and postgraduates, the gender balance changes. In 2014, 60.2 per cent of the undergraduate student population was female. For PhD students in the same year, the percentage drops drastically to 41.7 per cent.

This is a general trend across the UK, and it suggests that wome n are failing to continue with postgraduate education.

It also accounts

vides when one looks at non-academic staff at the University. Cleaners, for example, are generally not paid very well, and the large majority tend to be women. Ms Boon is quick to add, however, that this is not just a “St Andrews problem.”

Marnie Adamson, president of Women for Women St Andrews, and Ms Boon both agree that while St Andrews is conscious of gender equality, there are still things the University could do to improve. Ms Adamson and Ms Boon believe it is difficult to see the inequalities here in St Andrews, but they began to notice them when their perceptions of gender roles and understanding of feminism changed in recent years.

Ms Boon added, “As I’ve grown, I’ve learnt more and become more aware, so I don’t think anything has necessarily gotten worse, but my awareness of the problems has increased.”

Anna Atwell of For Her Project St Andrews, an organisation that aims to provide better education for girls in countries suffering from extrem-

Illustration: Gabrielle Wolf

I

Features editor: OLIVIA GAVOYANNIS Deputy editors: Kenalyn Ang, Julia Bennett, Emily Lomax, Daisy Sewell

FEATURES

NEVEN: the student

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

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behind the sweatshirts C

atwalk 2017 was Luka Terihaj’s second time exhibiting his clothing at the show, and he remains St Andrews’ most prominent student designer. Mr Terihaj’s Season Two designs are crisp, vivid, and unique -- and, after the show, they sold out.

The Saint spoke to Mr Terihaj about his brand, his thoughts on clothing, and fashion culture.

Mr Terihaj’s interest in clothes is a long-standing one; all through childhood and adolescence he noticed clothes, reimagining and tweaking them in his head. His mother is interested in fashion and would discuss it with him, and her wardrobe is a treasure trove of vintage fashion.

Mr Terihaj’s mother is the inspiration behind his brand and its aesthetic: her name is Neven, the Croatian word for marigold flower. The rich red and ochre pallet of one of his designs in particular pays homage to her Yugoslavian identity.

“Quite a lot of my heritage is from former Yugoslavia, and my idea was to play on an eastern European vibe,” Mr Terihaj said. “I flipped ‘Neven’ so that it looks almost like it’s fake Cyrillic. I’m a super font nerd and a huge stripe fan, and with the red it all coordinated.”

Mr Terihaj also noted that eastern European design does not get much of a look-in when it comes to fashion; it is dwarfed by the fashion capitals

of London, Milan, and Paris.

“Growing up, at least in England, eastern Europe didn’t strike anyone as cool,” he said. “But that’s my reference point, so I thought why don’t I tune it in and make eastern European design fashionable?”

Mr Terihaj enjoys subtle allusions to the Soviet era, so the nod to eastern European fashion that his garments give to his parents’ home country makes sense.

He explained, “There’s a certain visual attraction too; that’s why their propaganda was so successful.”

Mr Terihaj also remarked, tongue-incheek, that it can be amusing to see students from “The Land of the Free” sporting sweaters that hark back to, or at least stylis-

ticall y allude to, Soviet p r o p aganda: “it’s fantastic in a town of Americans that I can make a fake-Communist jumper and have people still marvel and say, ‘This is cool!’ and not know the reference points behind it.” There’s a secret dichotomy there that’s striking and funny to the designer.

So, when and how did Mr Terihaj’s journey in design begin?

It started around last Christmas.

“In my room in halls, I had lots of drawings of sweaters pinned up — I’ve always loved drawing,” he said.

“I’d draw a t-shirt, a sweater, and annotate it with the texture and the fabric — and my friend said I should get some of the designs made, and that was the trigger to see how and if I could do this.”

Luckily for Mr Terihaj, one of his friends from halls was on the Catwalk committee and told the president about his clothes.

“The beauty of the bubble,” Mr Terihaj added, “is that you will always have a mutual friend with someone.”

St Andrews is a place ripe with opportunity if you are brave enough to go for it.

Mr Terihaj did, and it is going very well. For him, it is all about the clothes and the creative vision: “that’s my canvas and that’s my painting, in a kind of really pretentious way.”

Nevertheless, Mr Terihaj has very much taken it all in stride. When asked if it is tricky to balance student life with designing, he sid no, “it’s such an enjoyment for me it’s never a struggle. The only thing is that my best ideas come to me when I have something else I need to be doing, like an essay.”

Perhaps Mr Terihaj’s inspiration also stems from his study of English.

Of the clothing brand Supreme, he said, “On one of their t-shirts they put a Philip Larkin quote. That was fantastic, being able to connect the two fields. That’s the great thing about art — everything can inspire you. I get inspired all the time.”

Mr Terihaj loves designing, and hearing about the process allows one to realise that designing an item of clothing that works aesthetically is not straightforward. It needs to work as a drawing, graphic, and real-life garment, and Mr Terihaj clearly has an eye for what works and the vision needed to see it through to fruition.

“Van-Gogh style, I cut off my ears and don’t listen,” he said. “I do sometimes get the impression that people try to hold you back with their comments or belittle your ideas or put you down, but when I start valuing their comments is when I start diluting my own vision. I trust my own opinion.”

This is not to say Mr Terihaj rejects criticism. He only hopes that people will respond to his work, positively or negatively, and feel something when they see it.

“As long as I can polarize things, I could spark someone to say, ‘He’s got it completely wrong, I’m going to go away and do something different,’’’ Mr Terihaj said.

In delving into the world of design, especially as a solo start-up designer, he has had to source his own fabric and find a manufacturer. Mr Terihaj’s journey to find both begins with a train ride to somewhere in the suburbs of Kent.

It continues with a baby greeting him at the door of a house and a bevy of sewing machines in a room made for a home-run manufacturing factory. This was a bizarre experience, but it was all part of Mr Terihaj’s journey.

Another essential element of Mr Terihaj’s designs is comfort.

He explained, “I want my clothes to be cool and cosy, because when you’re wearing something you feel good in your confidence and energy can be through the roof: mentally it’s fantastic.”

Mr Terihaj also wants his brand to

be accessible visually and financially. “I want it to be super different and new but not alienate people. And if people want it, I want everyone to be able to h a v e it.”

With Catwalk 2017 over, Mr Terihaj has nothing but praise for the event. Its professionality, the real love for fashion that the committee have, and the fact that they all know him and his designs play into his appreciation for the event. He explains that Catwalk is a close-knit and communicative operation in which the creative vision is pure.

“In the interactions I’ve had with Catwalk directors, you can tell very palpably that they love clothing and they love fashion,” Mr Terihaj said.

“Sometimes I wonder if the actual fashion of other fashion shows gets lost amidst the glamour, and you detract away from what you show on the catwalk, but Catwalk really cares about the clothes.”

Mr Terihaj has greatly enjoyed working with Catwalk 2017, but he is a man with a vision and dreams of establishing his own fashion show in St Andrews.

“I have the vision for an independent fashion show, on my terms,” he said. “I’d get rid of the goodie bag el-

ement of fashion shows

at St Andrews. It wouldn’t be about the add-ons: you’d sit down and actually watch the clothing. There’d be a soundtrack curated for the clothing.

“I love having half a party and half being able to watch the show at Catwalk because they have these super-sick DJs, but at my show the focus would be how can I get everything to align to the clothing.

Then I’d have a party afterwards.

Mr Terihaj’s passion for clothes, design, the arts, and the connections between them shines brightly.

He is a man who loves his craft and hugely appreciates the work of others, too: a plethora of designers, artists, and writers receive his praise.

A NEVEN fashion show would undoubtedly be meticulously and eclectically curated, with all involved being cherished and creatively challenged.

Photos: Adrian Ngiam

EMILY LOMAX Deputy features editor

FEATURES

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO DINNER PARTIES H

osting a dinner party is a fun and often inexpensive way to celebrate an occasion or while away an evening in pleasant company. Whether you want to make your dinner party sophisticated, themed, or competitive, this guide contains everything you need to pull it off.

As with any party, your guests will make or break the night. A dinner party is a great way to introduce friends who do not know each other or to introduce your new significant other to your friends. But, if you already know that people will clash, sitting them around a table for several hours is probably going to make the situation worse. So, choose carefully.

When creating the invite list, make sure that you have enough chairs and a big enough table to seat everyone comfortably. Even more importantly, think about whether you are going to be able to cook for all of your guests. Between four and eight is a good number of people to invite, especially if it is the first time that you are hosting.

One recurring issue with student dinner parties is flatmates. It can be uncomfortable when a pyjama-laden hungover friend joins the kitchen to make pasta when everyone else is dressed up.

It’s not too bad if your kitchen is in a separate area away from where you will be eating.

However, in halls where you might not be great friends with the people using the communal kitchen, this can be an issue. Of course, there are not too many options here; with plenty of notice, ask these kitchenmates to join or politely check if they are willing to make themselves scarce. If you know your flatmates are going to be around, try to prepare almost everything before your guests arrive. This way, you won’t have to wait for someone to finish using the cooker before your guests can eat.

The key to a good dinner party is preparation.

It is important that you check dietary requirements early, as it is extremely awkward when you have made a chicken pie for a coeliac vegan. Do not worry about being honest if you are not sure what to cook for someone with a special dietary requirement. They will prefer it if you ask and might even offer to bring an alternative meal.

The best way to start your dinner party preparation is by deciding the menu and making sure it is suited to your budget. At this stage, it is also important to pay attention to timing, as dinner parties are not as fun when each person receives their food at ten-minute intervals.

To avoid this scenario, cook something you are comfortable preparing. This is not the time to try something brand new, as it can be quite embarrassing when you have to serve something to your guests that you do not want to eat yourself. When

searching for recipes online, make sure you have a reliable source (such as BBC Good Food) to plan your menu and that there is plenty of time to buy ingredients.

After poisoning your guests, leaving them hungry is one of the worst dinner party faux-pas, so make sure you have enough food for everyone.

According to the blog divinedinnerparty.com, you should have roughly half a kilo of food per person, not including dessert. It is always best to have more than you think you need, especially as people might want seconds. This might mean you have to eat your dish for the next several evenings, but it will probably be a relief after spending so long in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.

To make timing easier, especially if you are going down the traditional three-course route, pick one star dish. Normally your best dish will be your main course, so choose an easy but tasty starter which will get your night off to a good start without too much effort. Options include a tart made with ready-rolled puff pastry or stuffed peppers. Or, if you want something easy and delicious but a bit different, try a cheese fondue.

The easiest menus involve batch cooking, as these dishes can be cooked ahead of the event.

There are many recipes that can be batch cooked, the most obvious ones being curries or stews.

Good options include traditional Scottish cullen skink, Thai green curry, or a Moroccan tagine. If you are not comfortable cooking from scratch try pre-made pastes, or even better, spice kits. These kits provide you with both the spices you need and a recipe. If you do choose the curry/stew option, think carefully about your other courses and textures; soup, followed by stew, followed by a mousse requires a lot of spoon usage.

Another perk of batch cooking is that you can save money by bulking the dish out with vegetables and pulses rather than serving a fillet of meat to each person.

If you want to use an expensive ingredient, another cost-saving method is to use it in smaller quantities as a starter rather than a main. You should also make sure that you are not paying for the things you can do yourself. Grate your own cheese and chop your own garlic rather than buying it pre-done.

It is also very normal to ask people to bring their own drinks, although it is best if you, the host, get a mixer and soft drinks.

Fans of the TV show Come Dine with Me know that entertainment can make or break a night.

Getting the balance with entertainment is hard, but games seem to be a better option than a performance. If you are going out after dinner, the most obvious entertainment is drinking games. If not, try nostalgic kids games such as Jenga or interactive games that allow everyone to get involved.

Games are especially great if you have invited

people who do not know each other, as they are more fun than awkward post-dinner chat.

A big question surrounding dinner parties is whether there should be a theme. If done right, a theme can simplify the planning of your menu, decorations, music, and dress code, but if done badly a theme can add an embarrassing and marginally racist tone to your evening. Obvious themes are holidays such as Christmas, Halloween, or Thanksgiving.

Other good themes are movies and TV shows or decades, such as a ‘90s party with crop tops and Capri Sun cocktails. Parties themed around certain celebrated cuisines such as those of Italy or Mexico can be another good option, although it is important to be culturally appropriate.

If you have a theme, the decorations and music will be easy to plan. If not, movie soundtracks offer great background music, and the guests can guess which film the songs come from if conversation dries up. Using these kinds of playlists also gives you one less thing to think about, as ready-made movie soundtrack playlists are available on Spotify and YouTube.

Decorations are never expected at dinner parties, but if you have time they are a nice touch, and there are thousands of decorating ideas on Pinterest to get you started. Failing that, a simple vase of flowers always looks nice. However, if you opt for larger centerpieces, make sure they do not block conversation.

If you can, think about lighting when setting up your dinner area. This may sound like an overkill, but bright overhead lighting will not do your food any justice. It will also show any lurking stains on your sofa or carpet that you still have not got rid of. Candles are a good alternative to this if you are not in halls, but try not to use strong scented candles and have another light source. You could also try lighting the room with desk lamps from your flatmates’ rooms if you have no other options.

The most important thing to remember during the dinner party is to enjoy it, especially if things do not go to plan.

Robert Price, a PhD chemistry student, exemplifies this mantra. He recalled how the baking paper that he was using to cook a beef wellington once caught fire in the oven.

Although Mr Price was quick to safely put the fire out, the pastry was covered in ash that he struggled to remove.

Not wanting to alarm his guests or own up to the mistake, the host simply covered it up with black pepper. Luckily, the guests had consumed too much wine to notice, proving the point that even if you make a mistake, you can usually style it out.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

REBECCA WILSON

OLIVIA GAVOYANNIS Features editor

FEATURES

19

T

here is no denying that Robby Mook is a force to be reckoned with. The political campaign strategist secured key victories in three states during Hillary Clinton’s bid for the Democratic nomination in 2008.

In 2016, he went on to command Ms Clinton’s presidential campaign from start to finish. Mr Mook also made history as the first openly gay manager of a US presidential campaign. He has achieved all of this at the age of just 37.

But what brought such an influential figure to speak to a room full of St Andrews students at Hotel du Vin on a snowy Friday evening? The answer is nothing more than the tenacity of two university undergraduates: Arabic and history student Daniel Rey and Spanish and management student Benjamin Thrasher.

Mr Rey and Mr Thrasher started the LaFayette Club this September after they returned from a year abroad.

As the club’s Facebook page states, the LaFayette Club is a society that aims to deliver “simply great talks.”

Mr Rey told The Saint that the name of the LaFayette Club has a “personal resonance” for both Mr Thrasher and himself. It stems from a project that the two worked on involving the reconstruction of a French ship called the Hermione.

He explained,“[The Marquis de Lafayette was a] French general in his early 20s who essentially had a huge influence on the outcome of the War of Independence. He won some crucial battles and basically we just thought, because he’s an inspirational figure who achieved a lot at an early age […] this was a sort of inspiration for us, and an inspiration for people that came to our talks. It’s kind of pretentious, but we just thought it was a nice sounding name.”

In addition to making use of the marquis’ title for the name of their club, Mr Rey and Mr Thrasher have also adopted Lafayette’s motto, “Cur Non?,” which translates to “why not?”

The Marquis de Lafayette is famous for his courageous decision to help the Americans fight against the British in the American Revolution, and the two students took on this attitude in their quest to bring speakers to St Andrews. They are not using personal connections to find interesting speakers, only sheer determination and persistent emailing. After all, as Mr Thrasher points out, “It can’t be that hard to get very good speakers to come to speak to us.”

The ambitious spirit of Lafayette

really is at the heart of the club’s concept, as Mr Rey and Mr Thrasher are the first to acknowledge there are two large challenges created by the nature of what they are trying to achieve.

The first of these is the difficult task of scheduling a date for busy figures such as Robby Mook to visit St Andrews. The second is arranging the transport to get speakers to our somewhat remote town. It is this second issue that is one of the biggest setbacks for the organisation of LaFayette Club events.

“If we were in London we would tenfold increase our opportunity to get great speakers in because people would be in town for business,” Mr Thrasher said. “But there aren’t any big business meetings that go on in St Andrews. So we always have to fly people up or fly people across.”

He cites these two hurdles as reason why societies have struggled in the past to get top-level speakers to St Andrews. Although both Mr Rey and Mr Trasher enjoyed the society events put on in St Andrews in the past, the internship they undertook last summer totally changed their perspective.

Mr Trasher said, “The project that we worked on in the summer in the states was all about event management, again with very high-level people. And we learnt about event management from that and we really enjoyed it. […] We were not able to

see St Andrews events through rose tinted glasses any more. Instead of the good things of the event, we’d just see this was done badly, that aspect was done badly.”

Mr Trasher attributes the pair’s disillusionment with such events to the fact the organisational teams behind them failed to address all three of the things that make a good event: the venue, the marketing, and the speaker.

On returning to the University, the pair found that it was the speakers who were particularly lacking.

Many of the speakers who give talks are academics from St Andrews or Edinburgh. Although these individuals are undoubtedly interesting, their talks can be similar to the lectures already on offer to students.

When asked whether the club had a certain type of speaker they would try to contact for future events, Mr Rey said, “We wanted to set up a society which just brought great speakers from any discipline, from any background, anyone really who was interesting.”

However, he was keen to point out that quality, rather than quantity, was the prime concern for the club going forward, adding, “Our aim is to get the better speaker rather than more events, so if it’s only one or two events a semester, as long as they’re high enough profile that’s our main

priority.”

So far, the two students have had a very positive response from the high-profile figures they have approached. Although they have received rejections, many of these have been due to logistical inconveniences.

The potential speakers have not been disparaging of the club’s aim, but rather the opposite.

We were not able to see St Andrews events through rose tinted glasses any more “They don’t think we’re ridiculous.

They appreciate what we’re doing, and people are up for it,” Mr Rey said.

The two have even received a few personal letters of rejection from directors of the biggest companies in the world.

The LaFayette Club has also been

met with a positive response from the student population. The club’s inaugural event, “A conversation with the Hillary Clinton 2016 Campaign manager,” sold out. There were even students posting on the event to try and buy last-minute tickets. This is a feat that is made even more impressive a lack of strong promotion.

Prior to the event, Mr Rey said, “We’ve only just posted it on a few Facebook groups and we’ve nearly sold out, so the fact is if the event’s good enough you don’t need to put that much into the advertising element of things.”

This lack of advertising was partly due to the fact that the LaFayette Club is not currently associated with the Union, meaning the event could not be promoted in the library, Union events listings, or Union website.

However, this clearly did not pose any great problem to the success of the event, and Mr Rey said the club currently does not have any plans to seek affiliation with the Union. Its independent status allows Mr Rey and Mr Trasher to arrange events “more simply and how we want to do it.”

The way that the LaFayette Club does things is not the same as the typical St Andrews society. In addition to not being Union-affiliated, it is one of the few societies that does not have a membership scheme. Instead, students can just pay to attend whatever events take their fancy. Linked to this is the decision made by the two students not to put on LaFayette Club socials. There will be no wine and cheese events, champagne receptions, or pub crawls. Instead, “every now and again we will just be holding talks and that will be as much as people get from the LaFayette Club,” Mr Thrasher said. Moreover, the LaFayette Club is managed solely by the two founders. The benefit of not having a large committee, such as those that are behind so many other society events, is that the two students can steer the direction of the club in any way they want.

Another unique aspect of the LaFayette Club is that it can offer something to appeal to every student.

Not all students would associate with a society named the St Andrews Politics Society, “whereas with this it’s so broad that there’s no one who can not like it,” Mr Thrasher said.

The club has already confirmed that Peter Brabeck, the chairman of Formula 1 and Nestle, will speak at an event next year. When asked about other potential speakers, Mr Rey and Mr Thrasher assured The Saint they have some interesting names in the pipeline. The LaFayette Club’s events will certainly be the ones to watch in coming semesters.

Photo: Maddy Bazil, Lightbox

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

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FEATURES

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

hours in Niagara Falls

NATASHA FRANKS Events editor

S

omehow, we failed to realise that we were going to Canada until the morning of our flight. The Franks family holiday destination had been slated as the American side of Niagara Falls; however, my mother, in her quest to obtain “the nicest view of the falls,” unknowingly booked us into the Canada-based Hilton. Hardly an hour before we were due to leave for the airport, my parents clocked the hotel’s Canadian postal code. A twenty-four hour sojourn upstate had suddenly become an international vacation.

After securing our passports, we departed with a revitalised sense of anticipation, struck by sudden visions of maple syrup and hockey games. I had never been to Canada.

Furthermore, the American Falls are notoriously mediocre when compared to the Canadian Falls, a horseshoe-shaped explosion of steam and foam. The falls are not technically a “Wonder of the World” (a fact that is hotly debated in the online wonder community), but no one would describe them as anything short of wonderful.

Accomodation Our stay at the Hilton got off to an interesting start when, upon entering the lobby, we discovered a two hour queue to check in. The hotel, it transpired, was fully booked for a convention. After queueing for twenty minutes, my father remembered that he was a Hilton Honours member. This miracle allowed us to skip the queue, and there was much rejoicing.

When we arrived at our room, I realised that the Hilton being known as the “best hotel in Niagara” was not a compliment; it was an insult to every other hotel in a ten-mile radius.

What were those mysterious stains on the walls? Had the shower even been washed? How did that stain get on the ceiling? TripAdvisor warned me to avoid the bathtub, lest I wanted to emerged with a genital infection. I bathed using sink water.

By day, the hotel reminded me of a Motel 6 at night. By night, the hotel reminded me of a Motel 6 at night in Detroit.

My brother described the cot as

“the worst thing [he had] slept on in [his] entire life.” I offered a similar review of the bed, a lumpy abomination of frayed sheets and a vague, milky smell.

Somehow, we managed to drift off around 1 am. In an impressive coincidence, that was precisely the time the fire alarm went off. For over ten minutes, the relentless beeping mingled with the faint sounds of babies crying.

Once the false alarm had subsided, we returned to our fitful slumbers. Not an hour later, the alarm went off again.

Then, as we once again settled in for the night, the speaker system erupted with a shrill “WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.” The bodiless voice repeated her apologies multiple times, ensuring that the hotel remained awake for the remainder of the hour.

Beyond that brutal night, we spent very little time in the Hilton. My final interaction, the next morning during checkout, was the sight of a barefoot, bathing suit-clad man wandering around the lobby with lint and dirt sticking to his exposed feet. I did not look back.

Weather In the summer, over twelve million tourists visit Niagara Falls. This makes sense. The sun is shining, and the water is warm. With the right atmosphere, I would understand why Niagara is such a popular honeymoon destination.

We visited Niagara Falls in December. The icy rain and howling winds did not dampen the stunning views of the falls, but they did dampen everything else about the trip.

There is something strangely ironic about marvelling at 150,000 gallons of water while what feels like 150,000 gallons of water gets dumped onto your head. In half of our family photos, our faces are obscured by hoods and scarves.

The official Niagara Falls tourism website claims that “when you celebrate winter in Niagara, winter will never be the same.” I agree. Every winter from now, I will be grateful that I am not in Niagara Falls.

Entertainment Many people criticise the American side of the falls for being too commer-

cial. I therefore came to Canada prepared to experience a small, hidden gem of a town. Mom and Pop grocers, indie clothing stores, hole in the wall bars and diners … that kind of thing.

Turns out, Canada is no stranger to commercialism. Our hotel was next door to an IHOP. There was a Starbucks in the lobby. The closest thing I saw to Canadian culture was Tim Hortons.

Niagara epitomised the term “tourist trap” thanks to its inflated prices andmainstream brand names.

Looking around, the phrase “poor man’s Las Vegas” sprang to mind.

Particularly in the bleak weather, Niagara felt like an unpopulated video game map attempting to recreate the lustre of reality and not quite succeeding.

Unsurprisingly, there were plenty of falls-related expeditions to undertake. We went on a “Journey Behind the Falls,” a benefit of the Adventure Passes my father had optimistically purchased. The journey allowed us to walk through the passages that ran behind the falls. This might have been fun in the summer, but in the winter our “adventure” consisted of us waddling through the dimly lit, horror movie-esque tunnels whilst trying to avoid getting caught in a spray of frigid water.

After exiting through the gift shop, another adventure caught our eye: Niagara’s Fury, an interactive film about the falls. The word “interactive” prompted some hesitation, but we entered the waiting room with high hopes. We could not have known that we were about to experience Niagara’s Fury in all its sopping wet glory. (In hindsight, we should have been suspicious when our fellow moviegoers began donning raincoats.)

The show opened with a short film on the history of the falls. To call it “nonsensical” would be a gratuitous overstatement. To explain it as logically as I can, an animated bird needed to write a school paper on Niagara Falls. He travelled back in time to the moment the falls were created, and then he met a polar bear, and I think the polar bear died an icy, off-camera death when the falls erupted.

Something about sediment and erosion was explained, and then the bird (which now had a deep voice and abs, for some reason) was flying back to the present day with his owl tutor.

Armed with this haunting prologue, we continued into the main

Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Natasha Franks

20

chamber. Attendants ushered us onto a circular platform floating in a pond of still green water. The lights flickered. Suddenly, the walls came alive with footage of the falls, a rumble of waves that arrived accompanied by a spray of mist from the ceiling.

The cameraman employed experimental filming tactics that were showcased as the video grew erratic, lunging from one angle of the falls to another, diving down and soaring upwards. Water streamed onto the platform at random intervals, “lightning” flashed, and the platform tilted dangerously. By the end of the bizarre demonstration, I knew nothing about Niagara Falls that I had not known before: it was wet, and cold, and defied all reason.

These underwhelming interactions with the falls prompted us to seek entertainment elsewhere. A short bus ride led us to the Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory, an exotic collection of exactly what you would expect. Outside the conservatory, I was thrilled to witness the Canadian “fat squirrel” phenomenon. The pudgy rodents dominated my Snapchat story for the afternoon.

On our way back to town, we considered stopping off at the Bird Kingdom but decided to quit while we were ahead.

Food For dinner, we ventured to an Italian joint near our hotel. The food was so unremarkable that I could not tell you what I ate. Afterwards, we went to Dairy Queen, because nothing suits a frozen wasteland better than DQ, which my father made us eat outside on the street. To this day, I get flashbacks when I see vanilla ice cream.

The culinary highlight of the holiday came, ironically, after we left Niagara Falls. On our drive down to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, we stopped off at the iconic Anchor Bar. Although it may not boast a very prominent brand abroad, the Anchor Bar is renowned in America for the invention of the buffalo chicken wing in the 1960s. The wings allowed us to end the trip on a tasty note.

In Summary: 0/5 stars. Would not recommend.

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

FEATURES

21

The Student Voluntary Service W

atching the news in today’s world is a sure way to lower your spirits. With refugee crises and human rights issues ever present, it is easy to feel unable to do anything to help the world. We are a small town in a small country. Does anything we do really make a difference?

Perhaps this is the best time to take it all back to a local level and do something to help our own community where we, as students, receive so much help and support.

The St Andrews Voluntary Service (SVS) is on hand and could be the answer to the question I constantly find myself asking whilst scrolling the BBC News homepage: “what can I do to help?”

Local issues within communities care often overshadowed by greater worldwide issues that many student charities choose to support. This, of course, is commendable and not to be underestimated. However, if you are looking for something on a smaller scale, something which enables you to see the difference in your own town, then SVS is the place for you.

The Saint spoke to the convener of SVS, Sarah Rodway-Swanson, to find out more about what the service does and how St Andrews students can get involved.

First of all, the history of SVS is perhaps more interesting than one would think.

Ms RodwaySwanson said the service “began as a branch of the Christian Union that distributed volunteers to the local community to assist with tasks like gardeni n g a n d shopping.

In 1987, SVS separated from the Christian Union to become a reco g -

nised charity in Scotland and started to expand into other project areas. It was only more recently, in 2006, that SVS became a subcommittee of the St Andrews Students’ Association.”

As SVS is a subcommittee, Ms Rodway-Swanson’s position not only enables her to tend to her role as convener but also sit on the Student Services Council and be involved in the Union more widely. This could be something to consider if you are looking for ways to get more involved with the University as well as voluntary activities.

If you are interested in volunteering, SVS has a huge variety of projects in which the student body can get involved.

Ms Rodway-Swanson told The Saint, “We currently have about 50 active projects that we send volunteers to. We currently operate under seven project areas: youth, youth with additional needs, adults with additional needs, elderly, befriending, animals, and environmental. We’re also about to introduce an eighth project area: community to encompass a few new projects we are looking at, including Home Start NE Fife and Storehouse Foodbank. Some projects we manage ourselves, whilst others are run by outside organisations and we recruit on their behalf.”

As she says, there really is something for everyone; no matter what you are interested in, there will be some form of volunteering that will suit you.

“Some volunteers spend their Sunday evenings at

Stratheden Psychiatric Hospital dementia wards, whilst others spend their Saturdays working in a greyhound rescue centre. We have volunteers working with five and six-yearolds at Families First and others with 100+ year olds at St Andrews House Care Home. We have volunteers doing arts and crafts with adults at Rymonth House and others helping grow vegetables at Balgove Larder.”

I was astonished to discover just how much there is going on in St Andrews in terms of volunteering.

SVS has all kinds of projects, some for groups and some for individuals.

You can tailor the volunteering to ex-

It can help you gain work experience, gain confidence, and improve your physical and mental health actly what you want to get out of the experience whilst also giving something back to the community.

“We have one-on-one befriending, we have leadership roles, and we have other projects where it feels more like a social occasion than volunteering,” Ms Rodway-Swanson said.

It seems, therefore, that you can not only do a selfless act but also gain valuable experience in terms of interacting with new people, whether they are those you are helping or fellow volunteers. However, many of us are hesitant to get involved in such activ-

ities because we are too busy or already committed to a society or activity. However, Ms RodwaySwanson explained that in SVS, you are the one who chooses when and how often you volunteer.

“Some projects run weekly, some fortnightly, some monthly. Whatever time you want to give, the entire community is so grateful, whether that’s one hour or 30 hours each semester. […] We also have one-off projects throughout the year that are great, especially if people don’t have much time to spare. Recent one-off projects have included family fun afternoons at MUSA, conservation days at West Sands, and coffee mornings at a local Care Home.”

One example of a current project that SVS is running is TechnoSmart, which was coordinated by the elderly project officer at SVS. TechnoSmart revolves around teaching the elderly how to use technology, meaning that it is something any student could take part in. Thanks to the support and funding of the Cosmos Centre and Fife Council, SVS volunteers run weekly TechnoSmart sessions.

“Volunteers teach elderly attendees how to use technology [by] looking at Word documents [and] using the internet and apps like Skype to keep in touch with friends and family,” Ms Rodway-Swanson said.

SVS also has students who volunteer as classroom assistants at Madras College, further demonstrating the fact that the group helps integrate the University into the town. It is projects like these that could potentially appear insignificant but which I believe are integral to the strength of a community.

Why volunteer then?

Why give up an hour of nap-time?

Abigail Mounde, a second-year who recently took part in the TechnoSmart volunteering project and really enjoyed it, said, “University is quite a selfish time.

You wake up every morning and only have yourself to think about. An hour a week isn’t too much to give, and it’s something different to do.”

Ms Rodway-Swanson adds to this, saying, “Volunteering is an excellent way to give back to the local area. It’s a chance to meet people of a different demographic and escape from the student bubble for a couple of hours. Volunteering helps an awful lots of people in the St Andrews area.

Volunteering helps the service user, the organisation, and you. The people we work with are always so happy to see our volunteers. The organisations we work alongside are so appreciative of the time students give to them. For the volunteer themselves, it can help you gain work experience, gain confidence, and improve your physical and mental health. There is an immense sense of achievement and pride coming away from volunteering. [Also], we cover all your expenses if you have to travel or buy resources.”

SVS is an impressive asset to the University and community as a whole, demonstrating a very positive side of town and gown relations.

The sheer number and variety of projects that SVS has on offer is a sign of just how impressive the service is. Whether you have volunteered before, are feeling unfulfilled by student life, or even are interested in becoming part of the SVS committee, there is sure to be something of i n t er est to you.

If you would like to get involved w i t h SVS, you s h o u l d check out the group’s website at yoursvs.org. uk, find them on Facebook, or send them an email at svs@st-andrews.ac.uk.

The website has details of all the projects, and you can apply there. You can also sign up for their mailing list on the website.

Illustration: Gabrielle Wolf

DAISY SEWELL Deputy features editor

Y el O ec UR tio U N ns IO N 20 17

ELECTIONS 2017

2

Association president

Page 4

A NOTE FROM...

Lewis Campbell, Lewis Wood

Director of Wellbeing

Director of Education

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Zachary Davis Director of Student Development and Activities

THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE

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Claire Shirey

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

The University of St Andrews Students’ Association is exactly what you make of it.

Every year, you get an opportunity to change the direction we take when you cast your votes online.

That is an incredible power and a fantastic opportunity.

Students have the ability to make their voice heard on a range of issues: how we interact with the university, how we oversee societies, and what events we put on throughout a year.

We have one of the highest turnouts in the United Kingdom, consistently giving your elected representatives a legitimate mandate.

We are the only institution to have ever exceeded 50 per cent turnout, and this year we want to get there again.

We encourage not only that you vote, but that you make an informed choice.

During this coming week, your candidates will present their case for your votes outside of the library.

The Students’ Association website and The Saint shall publish and analyse respectively the promises which they make to you.

Please do take an interest in these, for they will set the stage for what that person shall do for you over the coming year.

We are your voice, your space, and your activities. We are nothing without your input. Please vote.

Sincerely, The elections committe

Charlotte Flatley Director of Events and Services

Page 6

José Orellana, Joe Grimeh, Hannah Jacobs

Athletic Union president

Page 8

Tom Abbott, Ellie Robson

Understanding the 2017 Union elections Who are we electing?

There are generally 63 positions to vote for: six sabbatical officers, 13 positions on the Students’ Representative Council, 10 on the Student Services Council, five Association positions (sit on both the SRC and SSC), 22 school presidents and 7 modern language convenors. This year, there are no candidates for the SRC postgraduate academic convener.

Sabbatical officers (often called sabbs) are students who take a year out from (or after) their studies. They are paid £18,549 per year and are employed for a period of 13 months by the Students’ Association.

The Association is funded by a variety of sources, including a yearly block grant from the University. This means that some of the money you have paid for your time here goes towards paying the sabbatical officers.

How do I choose who to vote for?

Candidates for every position

are required to produce a 100-word statement (250 words for sabbatical candidates) and a photo of their likeness to be included on the ballot paper.

Beyond this, many candidates have manifestos documenting their policies, as well as an extensive presence on social media.

RON

For every position, voters may also vote to reopen nominations (RON). RON can be selected as a first preference vote or indeed as any subsequent preference (see below for an explanation of the voting system).

In the counting of votes, RON is treated the same way as every other candidate. If RON wins the election, a special election will be scheduled and nominations will be reopened for candidates to enter. Any candidate who has run in the original election may also be nominated for the special election.

Choosing to reopen nominations

could express a voter’s dissatisfaction with any of the other candidates nominated for that position.

The fast-paced nature of results night can sometimes breed confusion, with some people unsure as to how their votes have been counted.

In the UK, national parliamentary elections are run on a first past the post system. This means that voters choose one candidate per position, and the candidate with the highest number of votes is declared the winner.

It is this voting system that most students are familiar with. If you think that our student elections are run in this way, it’s important that you read on.

The Students’ Association runs

elections based on a system called single transferable vote (STV). In this system, voters rank candidates in order of preference, with one being their first preference, two being their second, and so on. To begin with, the first preference votes are counted for every candidate. This is called initial distribution. A candidate is declared the winner outright if they receive 50 per cent or more of these votes.

If no candidate has secured 50 per cent or more of the total vote, however, the candidate with the fewest first preference votes is eliminated.

Those votes, rather than being lost, are transferred to whichever candidate those voters chose for their second preference. This process is called, perhaps confusingly, round one. (Any voters who have not chosen a second preference are discounted from the rest of the counting process, thereby reducing the number of votes required to reach the 50 per cent threshold.)

If no candidate has reached 50 per cent of the total votes after this redistribution, another candidate is eliminated and the process continues to round two. The votes for the eliminated candidate are again transferred to the voters’ next preferences. This continues until one candidate has reached that target of 50 per cent of the eligible, active votes cast. Phew.

In the 2013 election Jamie Ross, a candidate for Association president, received the highest number of first preference votes at 937 votes. However, this was less than 50 per cent of the total eligible votes, and it took several rounds of candidate elimination before another candidate, Chloe Hill, reached the 50 per cent threshold.

Video:

Election supplement design:

Online elections hub:

How do I vote?

Voting happens exclusively online and is open now at yourunion. net/vote. It’s easy to do and only takes about 10 minutes.

The voting system:

When are results announced?

The results for school president positions will be announced tomorrow, Friday 3 March, at 8:00 pm. Results for the other positions will be announced from 8:30 pm.

The Saint elections team Interviews and analysis:

Jonathon Skavroneck, Joseph Cassidy, Tom Williams, Paige Hamilton, Natasha Franks, Andrew Sinclair, Meilan Solly, Matthew Cregan, Charlotte Garton, Ashley Llewellyn, Georgia Davies, Ellie Hope

Photography: Sammi Ciardi

Alex Miller, Bri Chu, Tom Williams, Ania Juszczyk

Meilan Solly

Meilan Solly, Ashley Llewellyn

ELECTIONS 2017

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

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SRC, SSC and school president candidates What is the SRC?

T

he Students’ Representative Council (SRC) is the legally organized body for student representation at St Andrews.

It decides on legislative matters within the Student’s Association and aims to represent the views of students.

The members of the SRC are elected by the student body each March. Some members have a specific portfolio that is supposed to represent a segment of the population, such as the member for gender equality or the member for first years.

Accommodation officer Jonathan Davies, Katherine Kelly Lynch, Jack Rogan, Joshua Paik

Arts/divinity faculty president

Postgrad development officer Mizuki Morisaki

Jack Nevin, Angie Keswani, Benjamin Thrasher, Hyewon Han, Tom Groves, Chun Yan Samuel Yuen

Member without portfolio Olivia Budde, Peter Convery, Marcus Owtram Science/medicine faculty president John Weaver

School presidents

E

ach academic school elects a school president, who is responsible for working with class representatives to liaise between staff and students in that school.

They also work with the SRC education officer and the Director of Education to coordinate education policy across departments.

Broadcasting officer (STAR)

Lorraine Callaghan

Flora Rowe

Debates officer (UDS)

Georgia Davies, Deanna Rand, Anna Lloyd

Erin Philip

Modern language convenors

M

odern language convenors act as the link between students and staff within the school. They chair relevant student staff consultative committees and coordinate with the modern languages school president.

Arabic/Persian convenor Daniel Dov Rey, Liz Bobo, Maitri Patel

Comparative literature convenor

Matthew Lansdell

Jamie Minns

Employability officer

Member for gender equality

Member for widening access & participation

Marcell Kovács

Chemistry Fraser Allen Watson

Classics Julian Frink

Michael Sheffield

Economics and finance Adam Stromme Alison Quinn Mauro Parado Crespo Dillon Yeh Tongtong Yang Camila Molina

English

Genevieve Liston-Oakden Ellen White Mayu Hoshino

Computer science Bipaswi Shakya

Gergely Flamich

Film studies Gaby Levey

Ross Ewing

French convenor

Rachel Dinsdale

German convenor

Hannah Klimas

James Rickard

Italian convenor Russian convenor

Devon Lee

Patima Shareefy

Spanish convenor

Amy Bretherton

Abi Whitefield

History

Clara Detlefsen

Charlotte Gordon Lucy Rose Spindler Iain Millar

Mina Radovic

William Bosustow

Alice Foulis

Association positions

T

hese positions are officers of the Association because their work overlaps with that of both the SRC and SSC. They sit on both councils.

The association chair is responsible for impartially chairing meetings of the SRC and SSC. They also advice other officers on the Association’s laws.

The other officers each chair a subcommittee on their remit.

Member without portfolio

Sarah Williams, Matthew Singer, Kevin Phelan

International relations Gav Stajkovac Ilan Selby

Philip Caraci

Sarah Gharib

Modern languages Benjamin Thrasher Caitlin MacDonald

Management

Mathematics & statistics Adam McRoberts Andrew Mitchell Barbora Cernakova

Geography & SD

Cameron Smith

Natasha Bateman

Music officer (Music is Love)

Daniel Dov Rey, James Whitehead, Ciara McCumiskey, Daniel Johnstone

Vacant

Volunteering officer (SVS)

Patima Shareefy, Liam McDonald

Brianna Chu

Societies officer Pia Szabo

Shruthi Swaminathan, Sarah Bourial

Jacob Pepper

Postgrad officer (Postgrad Society)

Charities officer (Charities Campaign)

Member for racial equality

Earth & environmental science

Biology

Performing arts officer (Mermaids)

Jennifer Bre

Ru Ferguson

Member for students with disabilities

Divinity

Susanna Smith

ion subcommittees. These are the societies of which every student is automatically a member, such as the Union Debating Society, STAR, and the Mermaids Theatre Group.

The societies officer is head of the societies committee. The societies committee administrates and provides finances for the 140+ societies that are affiliated with the Union.

There is also the external funding officer, who helps facilitate donations from external sources, such as various companies, and the member without portfolio, who assists other members as needed.

Postgrad academic convener

Art history

Megan Daniels

he Student Services Council (SSC) is responsible for the management of the Students’ Association with regard to societies, Union facilities, and other extracurricular activities. Where as the SRC focuses on matters of policy, the SSC deals with the more practical business of the Union.

Many members of the SSC are also heads of Un-

Member for age equality

Member for first years

Benjamin Lane

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Others, such as the member for widening access and participation, have a particular topic or area that they work on.

The SRC has the power to lobby the University to make change in a number of different ways, including providing more money for student activities, taking a public stance on particular issues, or improving the teaching experience.

Vacant

Nicola Simonetti

Lily Ratcliff

What is the SSC?

Medicine

Carissa Jacobs Robert Mitchell

Eden Goodman Gianluca Giammei

Gray Seiler

Social anthropology Thomas Smart

Association chair

Ruaraidh Maciver, Jackie Ashkin

Alumni officer

Sam Ross Shagun Baid

Psychology & neuroscience

Alexander Lee

Physics & astronomy

Alisa Danilenko

Philosophy Antonia Zimmerman Laura Middag Alvarez

Karen Aston Ali Huntley

Rikke Nedergaard

Environment officer

Lauren Davis Clare Grist Ryan Hay

LGBT officer

Community relations officer Mika Malouf Hannah Raleigh

Jamie MaCleod

ELECTIONS 2017

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

Year: Fourth Course: Sustainable dev.

Prior experience: • Students for independence external campaigns convener • Scottish Green Party candidate

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r Campbell’s policy ideas are certainly unique, but they lack feasibility, likely due to his lack of experience in student politics.

Accommodation Mr Campbell’s accommodation policy is one of his most eccentric ideas. He proposes the creation of a student-led housing co-operative where all University accommodation would be governed by a board of student tenants. Whilst in theory this asset-lock on accommodation could ensure halls receive a greater level of funding, it is an unattainable fantasy.

If the University handed management of one of its greatest sources of revenue to the student body, it would be an unjustifiable leap of faith.

When asked if he believed the University would accept his policy, Mr Campbell asserted, “I don’t think they have a choice.”

Careers An in-house entrepreneur is an-

other keystone policy of Mr Campbell’s manifesto.

This individual would work in collaboration with the Careers Centre and alumni to “inspire and nurture students to set up businesses or charities during their time here.”

In the beginning of his manifesto, Mr Campbell asserts that the purpose of such a policy is to provide a “parttime job in St Andrews” for students.

Later on, Mr Campbell suggests the creation of “spin-outs […] which will provide an extra source of revenue for the University.” This would ensure that the profits would not fully return to students or the Union.

In Mr Campbell’s manifesto, there is a large focus on incorporating small and medium enterprises (SMEs). He proposes the creation of an SME careers fair, which is an interesting twist on the traditional approach to careers.

Students are often only exposed to large corporations at careers fairs.

Mr Campbell asserts that the creation of such an event would “allow for greater diversity in the sectors who employ graduates and will give students in St Andrews more choice about what they want to do post-graduation.”

This may encourage graduates to set up their own businesses, and for a lucky few, provide jobs.

Therein lies the issue, however: SMEs, given their size, are often reluctant to provide jobs and or graduate programmes that make the transition from university life easier.

Widening access Mr Campbell suggests holding open days for high school students in northeast Fife to improve the number of Scottish students attending St Andrews. Northeast Fife is not, however, substantial enough to address the attainment gap, and Mr Campbell does not propose any kind of outreach for the rest of Scotland.

Mr Campbell furthermore states that “widening access doesn’t only apply to young people.”

To combat this issue, he proposed the creation of a university-run nursery. It would seem, however, that Mr Campbell had not done his research at the time of writing, as such a facility already exists. Mr Campbell subsequently amended his position on the nursery, stating he would “support it and make sure students know about it and prospective students know as well.”

Final assessment Mr Campbell’s lack of experience in the body of student politics is clear. His experience in national politics is reflected heavily in his manifesto, as he promises to be a voice against “right wing populism.” This statement goes against the principles of free discussion and debate that university offers. While Mr Campbell has good intentions for the student body, his methods are unrealistic.

Year: Third Course: English Prior experience: • Assoc. LGBT+ officer, campaigns & publicity officer • Association trustee, SRC senior officer

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hanks to his experience engaging with the student body in a wide variety of roles over the past three years, Mr Wood is qualified to fill the position of Association President.

Accommodation

LEWIS

WOOD

Mr Wood states the priority of his accommodation agenda will be to provide “high-quality, low-cost” beds in town through the expansion of University-managed properties.

Whilst University-managed properties are undoubtedly more affordable than their estate agent counterparts, the expansion would need to be significant to make a noticeable difference to the student body as a whole.

Mr Wood also suggests the creation of a “redevelopment forum to ensure that the student opinion is heard and advocated for in redevelopment plans at the highest levels.”

This would be a useful method for making the opinions of residents known, but the forum lacks concrete influence on redevelopment plans.

Mr Wood furthermore asserts that he would work with incumbent Association President Charlotte Andrew to

LEWIS

CAMPBELL fight the HMO ban.

In an interview with The Saint, Mr Wood explained, “In the long term, I think the priority has to be with negotiating with university accommodation members about accommodation redevelopment schemes.”

External relations Mr Wood plans to join with other Scottish universities’ sabbatical teams to lobby the government in Brexit negotiations.

He said, “I just think that president is the role that will help me facilitate my goal of advocacy for students on a national platform with the University.”

The collaboration of sabbatical teams could be one of the most effective methods of maintaining funds for the Erasmus Scheme and ensuring that our University remains a diverse institution.

Transparency In order to further outreach efforts, Mr Wood suggests creating “question time” style feedback forums, visiting University halls, and using the subsequent student involvement to reform the Association.

Widening access Mr Wood suggests a number of methods to bridge the gap between

state and privately educated students at St Andrews. He aims to work with a number of societies and reach out to local Fife schools.

“I’m very aware of the relationship between our specific groups and the community at large,” Mr Wood explained.

Although he will undoubtedly be able to gain support from societies to address the issue on a local level, this does not solve the problem of widening access. Fife makes up a small proportion of potential applicants, and Mr Wood does not provide plans on how to increase access for the rest of Scotland.

Alumni Mr Wood proposes that he “will work with the DoSDA to centrally digitise affiliated society membership lists” and increase alumni involvement. This is an appealing proposal; however, how Mr Wood will obtain contact information for these individuals once they graduate is unclear.

Final assessment Mr Wood is an exceptionally qualified candidate.

His involvement with societies both within and outside of the Association has given Mr Wood the experience needed to lead the sabbatical team, and his policies, though lacking detail in some areas, are actionable and well-thought out.

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

ELECTIONS 2017

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DIRECTOR OF WELLBEING Year: Fourth Course: Psychology Prior experience: • Student Services intern • Student Minds, Nightline • Wellbeing committee

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he director of wellbeing position encapsulates everything Claire Shirey has worked towards in her university career.

In an interview with The Saint, Ms Shirey explained, “I really care about everything that this position stands for. I had a tough time when I first came to St Andrews. I felt like it was difficult to meet people and it was hard to find my place, and I almost left after my first semester because of that.”

Ms Shirey brings a wealth of experience to the newly created DoWell role. She has worked with many of the university’s mental health support organisations, including Student Services, Nightline, and the Wellbeing Committee.

CLAIRE

Wellbeing

SHIREY

Many of Ms Shirey’s wellbeing plans revolve around the initial adjustment to university life. To help new students, Ms Shirey hopes to im-

plement initiatives such as mentoring programmes in halls and academic schools.

She also wants societies to promote inclusivity during the first several months of the year by holding non-alcoholic or specific freshers events.

In terms of mental health, Ms Shirey hopes to expand existing resources such as Nightline, StAnd Together, and the Wellbeing Committee. She also wants to lobby for the creation of a mental health crisis team, provide mental health training, and centralise information regarding wellbeing resources.

Equal opportunities One of Ms Shirey’s goals is to allow representatives from societies to sit on the equal opportunities committee once a month, thereby creating a forum for “all voices, not just those elected in the Union.”

She hopes to encourage diversity by supporting Pangea and celebrating all cultures represented at St Andrews.

Ms Shirey also wants to increase the level of support offered to mature students, postgraduates, LGBT+ individuals, and those who come from lower-income families.

“I plan to re-organise [explanations of the bursary application

process] so students would apply before to see if they’re eligible or if they would get it,” Ms Shirey said.

“And that would inform their decision-making process to come here a lot better and help us open up St Andrews to more students.”

Democracy Ms Shirey plans to have a “totally open door policy. [...] One of the ideas I’ve come up with to combat that is having open hours that aren’t necessarily in the office, so maybe I’d go to Rector’s cafe and students could come in and talk to me about whatever they wanted, because I’d just be sitting at a table in a room with lots of other people rather than in an office made up of people who seem like they’re a group of friends.”

Final assessment Ms Shirey’s in-depth manifesto shows her dedication to the DoWell position. In particular, her proposed mentoring schemes promise to be an essential resource for all new students.

If Ms Shirey continues to display the level of careful thought and commitment she has shown thus far, she will be sure to leave her mark as the very first DoWell.

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ased on his qualifications, current role as school of chemistry president, and proposed actions if elected, Mr Davis appears to be a well-rounded candidate for the newly created Director of Education position.

room for flexibility.

As the first DoEd, Mr Davis will set the foundations for the role.

He described how he planned to build on current Director of Representation Jack Carr’s work, saying, “[Mr Carr has] a lot of policies that he’s implemented and I want to take them forward [...] and really see what we can do with it, because obviously now it’s a full-time role just spent on education, and that’s what I’m really passionate about.”

Education

Academic representation

Year: Fifth Course: Chemistry Prior experience: • Chemistry school president

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This is Mr Davis’s clearest focus, based not only on the description of the position but also his diverse proposals.

Mr Davis seems to have a strong working knowledge of specific aspects of the University, especially those that require change or maintenance.

Examples include increased student enrollment, the transition from sub-honours to honours level modules, and technology promotion.

In an interview with The Saint, Mr Davis expanded on his plans for technology in the classroom, saying, “I’m really passionate about lecture capture technology.

“We have a couple of lecturers in our school who record their own lectures and put up podcasts of these and these are extremely beneficial.”

Overall, Mr Davis’ ideas for these three areas are specific but also allow

Mr Davis seems to grasp the various challenges diverse leaders face when collaborating.

His most notable point here is a push for increased transparency of decisions made by the student body’s elected officials.

Mr Davis added, “People are kind of unaware of what’s going on, how class reps operate, what their job is.

I think by increasing transparency, making people more aware of what people are up to in these jobs [...] will make it more appealing to apply and to get invested in, because these are great things that are being set up.

To have our voice be projected: it’s a powerful tool.”

Postgraduate affairs Mr Davis falters in his manifesto

with this section, only proposing two somewhat vague and ambiguous points about postgraduate engagement. During his interview with The Saint, Mr Davis described his plans to create a separate postgraduate committee within each school so postgrads “have their own unique platform to cover their own problems so that … [they] are not missed and lost against all undergraduates’ issues. I think that by giving them their platform that they can talk on, we can get a lot more of their feedback and represent them better throughout each of the departments.”

Employability Mr Davis could have also expanded on his proposals for student employability, perhaps on his point under the “education” section which called for modules providing identifiable skills students can then reiterate when speaking with future employers. Though sparse, his ideas for this section show promise.

Final assessment Mr Davis has the experience and vision required. Though his manifesto is not flawless, he clearly understands what is expected of him and can simultaneously provide solutions. The Saint believes Mr Davis is qualified for this position and looks forward to holding him accountable.

ZACHARY

DAVIS

ELECTIONS 2017

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVITIES

harlotte Flatley sets out a succinct and impressive manifesto.

She demonstrates both an in-depth knowledge of the problems encountered by the student body and the innovation necessary to tackle them.

said. “[If] they want to find out more about their sabbatical officers and they want to find out about all these different projects that are being pursued, then I think it’ll just be in the best interest […] because this space is for students, and I think that students should know how it’s working.”

Ms Flatley also discussed her interest in coordinating events with smaller groups of students, such as postgraduates, mature students, and commuters.

Communication

Support for committees

Ms Flatley begins her manifesto by addressing the distance between sabbatical officers and the main student body and offering a pledge to improve communication.

“They were students and now they’re taking a year out and they’re working for the students,” she explained in an interview with The Saint. “And as such, I think that sabbatical officers should be some of the first people that you meet when you first arrive at St Andrews.”

Although Ms Flatley’s plan has obvious merits, the issue of low student interest remains a key factor.

One solution Ms Flatley proposes to increase engagement is describing the Association in clearer terms and making information about the Union more readily accessible.

“If we make it accessible, we make it that people are interested,” she

Ms Flatley’s main goal as DoSDA is to provide support for all Union-affiliated societies and sub-committees.

One of her proposed initiatives is working with CAPOD to offer optional leadership and training workshops.

She explained, “I want to be able to say, ‘Hey, we have this workshop. Now that you’re the head of a sub-committee, how about you go through this training, if you want to, and we’re just here to provide tips and clues into how it works.’”

Speaking on the array of student activities available at the University, Ms Flatley added, “I want you to enjoy your student experience while you’re here at St Andrews. To be able to be involved as much as you want is one of the great things about St Andrews. You can dedicate as much time, or as little time, as you want.

Year: Fourth Course: Film studies, psych Prior experience: • Broadcasting officer

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And I think that the student experience is not just your degree, but the activities that you pursue outside the classroom.”

Career support Last but not least, Ms Flatley sets out progressive ideas regarding career support. She hopes to work closely with the Careers Centre to expand support for those interested in less traditional fields and use focus groups to tweak the resources on offer.

“I want to [...] have student focus groups with students from different years, different courses, to find out what they are interested in, what the career centre has done to help them, and what they think can be done further,” Ms Flatley said, “because I think that’s the only way to really progress, just to find out what’s been used and what hasn’t.”

Ms Flatley’s other ideas include workshops discussing specific skills and utilising the professional skills curriculum.

Final assessment Overall, the DosDA candidate presents fresh and positive ideas.

However, Ms Flatley’s plans lose some of their impact due to a lack of finer details.

CHARLOTTE

FLATLEY

DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND SERVICES Year: Third Course: Econ, management

Prior experience: • ERPG analyst and client relationship leader • Concertmaster, Salvador Giner Youth Orchestra

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osé Orellana’s ideas cover a variety of Union initiatives, including theme weeks and a revamped app.

Theme weeks

JOSÉ

ORELLANA

Mr Orellana hopes to expand the Bop’s theme to encompass the entire week. As part of this initiative, he would create a cocktail and discounted drinks that relate to the theme.

Decorations would also be placed in the Main Bar on a weekly basis.

During an interview with The Saint, Mr Orellana explained, “We [should] tie in the Bop with our social culture. [...] For example, if it’s an American election Bop, we can associate that with beer or vodka.”

To further encourage student interaction with the Union, Mr Orellana would institute a weekly costume contest with the prize going to the best dressed student at the Bop. He would also incorporate

themed events at Beacon Bar, potentially by hosting live music nights with groups such as Music Soc. “We’ve already got really clubby music like house in the Bop in 601, so in Beacon it would be more jazz, blues, country, classical,” Mr Orellana said. “If we can link it to the theme of the week, even better.”

The Bop’s presence has increased over the past school year, and extending the themes to include the entire week is an ambitious but logical step.

Your Union app To further attract students to the Union, Mr Orellana intends to revamp the existing Union app. Students could receive notifications when an event that matches their interests is added, purchase tables in Club 601 via the app, and sell tickets through the app on behalf of affiliated societies. Finally, the app would provide students with the option of leaving feedback after an event.

Freshers’ Week Mr Orellana’s manifesto contains two notable instances of past experience: concertmaster for a youth orchestra and “a stint” engaged in a nightclub in Valencia, both of which

he says taught him the intricacies of booking acts and managing bars.

Mr Orellana describes his booking strategy as creating a list with “big names and up-and-coming artists” and moving from the former to the latter.

He also intends to reach out to artists performing nearby, operating under the assumption that they would perform at the Union for a cheaper price due to the proximity.

That said, it is unlikely even a slight discount on a big name artist would match our Union’s budget.

During Freshers’ Week, Mr Orellana intends to establish supporting acts in the evening, tangibly related to the headliner and serving to draw students to the Union earlier. He also discussed the importance of daytime events, which might include singing or acting classes.

Final assessment Mr Orellana is, for the most part, able to detail how he intends to implement his policies. He appears passionate about attracting students to the Union, despite not yet having worked within the Union himself.

His ideas regarding theme weeks and other revitalisation efforts appear poised to build on Ms O’Connor’s numerous achievements.

ELECTIONS 2017

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DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND SERVICES Year: Third Course: IR and econ Prior experience: • Local DJ • Head of events committee at boarding school; social chair for joint degree programme

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oe Grimeh is perhaps best known as a local DJ. His plans include booking up-and-coming acts and revitalising the Union.

Events Mr Grimeh hopes to improve the overall quality of the Union’s events and create new events for students to enjoy. His manifesto introduces the idea of “breaking the bubble” buses that would transport students to and from out-of-town destinations at night. This idea could be feasible; however, it would depend heavily on the cost of each bus ticket and the frequency of events.

As a student DJ, Mr Grimeh places a heavy emphasis on music acts.

In an interview with The Saint, he said, “[DoEs has] usually been a role that’s been filled by theatre people in the town. Lots of times, many of the candidates say very similar things along the lines of live music and things like that. I think I’m bringing in a very different perspective coming from this DJ background. [...] It’s a lot more relevant to the nightlife of

JOE

GRIMEH Year: Fourth Course: Geology Prior experience: • ENTs convenor • Member of quidditch team

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annah Jacob’s manifesto revolves around her work with ENTs and collaboration with current Director of Events and Services Taryn O’Connor.

Freshers’ Week Ms Jacobs cites her experience as ENTs convenor in last year’s Freshers’ Week, which was one of the most financially successful yet.

As DoES, she would maintain crowd favourites such as the Bop and Clan Warfare while diversifying with “guests, comedy, ceilidhs, and live music.”

In an interview with The Saint, Ms Jacobs explained, “I have seen hundreds of events going through the Union. [...] I’ve seen which events went well, and which events went not as well, and you learn from that and think, right, ok, how can we proceed to make things better for everyone else?

“This year’s Freshers Week, I felt, was very club-heavy, which is good and profitable, but it doesn’t give the opportunity to people who maybe don’t like going out to pub events to enjoy Freshers’ Week. I’d really like to look into getting a comedy event, because we didn’t have one this year

and I thought it was a real shame, and [booking] live music.”

The Union Both the Beacon Bar and the Bop play key roles in Ms Jacobs’ manifesto. She echoes the common sentiment that Beacon is not living up to its full potential. To revitalise it, she would create a new space for students.

“Personally, I really like the idea of having it as a space where people can drink, but also display student art, whether it’s performance art, or paintings and things like that.” Ms Jacobs said. “I think it would give the space a different vibe than any other place in St Andrews and also means getting students involved.”

While ambitious, funding for this process may be difficult to come by, considering the space was just redeveloped two years ago.

Ms Jacobs praises incumbent Taryn O’Connor’s role in improving the Bop. She intends to “keep the Bop great,” aided by her position as ENTs convenor. Her experience as an ENT gives Ms Jacobs a realistic idea of what Club 601 is capable of in terms of technical effects. She does not say specifically what effects she has in mind.

“I would very much like to continue Taryn’s work,” Ms Jacobs added. “I would like to have budgets set aside for the BOPs, for each of them to have their own themes [...] to make it a little bit different from a normal club night, as well as to work with

this town.”

Mr Grimeh also highlights his experience in hosting events at local clubs and appears confident that he can book “trendy and up-and-coming acts” for cheap prices.

While discussing his previous experience at a Rhode Island boarding school, he said, “We’d bring DJs, and a lot of the time we wouldn’t have the money for bigger acts, so we’d have to do a lot of research to find acts that wouldn’t cost as much. I know about these people because I do a lot of music blogging, [and] I’m really into the music industry.”

Regarding daytime events and non-club nights, Mr Grimeh would like to diversify with standup comedians and local bands.

He maintains, however, that club nights featuring popular music appeal to a large portion of the student body, adding, “You do also need to keep in mind that there is a large proportion of the student body that does like to go out and also finds it a bit boring sometimes in a small town of only three streets.”

Mr Grimeh also suggested that a cohesive Raisin Sunday event should be organised by the Union. He proposes the Union throw a “rager” in the evening to complement the various house parties in town. Considering the number of alcohol-related incidents that occur on Raisin, this plan might prove unpopular and potentially dangerous.

Mr Grimeh promises to improve the quality of Beacon Bar’s drinks

and reduce the price of the Main Bar’s drinks. He does not fully ex-

Drinks plain how he intends to make drinks cheaper beyond implying that better ingredients and well-trained barstaff could improve Beacon’s revenue to the point of subsidising the Main Bar.

Atmosphere Addressing a common complaint levied against the Union, Mr Grimeh hopes to improve the general aesthetic of the building.

He specifically mentions dimming lights and hanging more pictures on the walls in order to develop a stronger identity.

“We need to do some branding, we need get some more character, make their more of an atmosphere,” Mr Grimeh added. “We can’t have blank walls. We can’t have it feel like you’re in a cafeteria. There needs to be a vibe.”

Final assessment Mr Grimeh has ample experience as a DJ, which could aid him in planning club nights within the Union.

His inexperience in bureaucracy and budgeting, however, may impact his ability to implement many larger ideas.

Sandy’s and some committees, because some of the best BOPs we’ve had this year so far have been in conjunction with [Saints] LGBT+ and people like that.”

Accessibility Ms Jacobs hopes to continue the society collaborations that Ms O’Connor encouraged this year. She claims she will “streamline the process for societies to book events in the Union, and improve communication within the Union.” She does not offer specifics as to how she would accomplish this.

Ms Jacobs added, “Though I have less experience over a large amount of people, I have many, many hours of management experience [.. and] event management, which is fundamentally what this job is about.”

Food and drink Food and drink is a final priority for Ms Jacobs. She plans to keep prices low and introduce more vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options.

Final assessment Ms Jacobs’ past experience working within the Union is her strongest asset. Her manifesto has noble aims; however, she will need to explain how she intends to fulfil her many promises.

HANNAH

JACOBS

ELECTIONS 2017

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

ATHLETIC UNION PRESIDENT

Year: Fifth Course: Chemistry Prior experience: • President of Cricket Club • Prior work/planning efforts with the Athletic Union

Interaction

O

ne of Mr Abbott’s focuses is interaction, including the divide that seems to have grown between the AU and sports clubs.

Mr Abbot feels he is wellequipped to improve communication.

He describes himself as “an extremely open and approachable person. [...] No one feels uneasy coming to speak to me about anything.”

Mr Abbott hopes to remedy a lack of transparency by meeting with the presidents of AU-affiliated clubs in the opening weeks of the new academic year, “regardless of size or performance.”

This is a commendable idea and something that, whilst fairly basic, would go a long way in ensuring closer cooperation and improved relations for the term of Mr Abbott’s presidency.

Transport Mr Abbott also discussed trans-

port. He aims to remedy the situation by staging a “comprehensive review of the AU’s transport system and budgets” because he believes there are still steps that could be taken to further improve services the AU provides.

Kit Ensuring reliable and complete provision of kit for clubs of all size is something Mr Abbott also places heavy emphasis on in his manifesto.

He says that too many clubs are “left without kit on time or incorrect kit,” and he aims to improve this situation by opening channels of communication between himself and kit suppliers and ensuring the two have strong relations.

With the PlayerLayer contract up for renewal at the end of this academic year, Mr Abbott wants to meet with both their area representative and representatives from the head office to include contract clauses that better serve the interests of students. This is a positive step and would hopefully improve the kit issue.

“performance sport” status.

Making AU policy clearer is incredibly important, but The Saint is sceptical as to how much of a difference this would actually make. Likewise, this policy could further exacerbate divisions between performance sports and other clubs affiliated with the AU, therefore perhaps damaging Mr Abbott’s earlier promise of great interaction and cooperation.

Promotion Mr Abbott’s final policy drive is perhaps his best. He says that he wants “to expand the coverage of every AU club” and would liaise with the Saints Sport media team and town’s media outlets to get events and progress covered.

This is a clearly thought-out policy, and it will help one of the fundamental issues that has arisen for clubs in recent years.

Integrating multiple media outlets will increase their combined capabilities and should mean that sport at this University gets the profile it deserves.

Performance sport

Final assessment

Mr Abbott’s next point is an interesting one, as he promises to work with the director of sport and other sport and exercise staff at the Sports Centre to make clear guidelines for what it takes for clubs to achieve

Overall, what Mr Abbott’s manifesto may lack in concrete policies, it more than makes up for in a clear passion and enthusiasm for student sport and representing the interests and talents of those involved.

Year: Fourth Course: History and IR Prior experience: • President of the Cheerleading Club; former treasurer and publicity officer

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hilst there are no catchy slogans to embrace during the campaigning season, the content of Ellie Robson’s manifesto is more than enough to make you pay attention.

Accessibility

ELLIE

ROBSON

Ms Robson shows an appreciation of the “heavy financial burden” that equipment-heavy sports like golf and fencing can place on students’ ability to participate, and this is something she aims to change by liaising with Director of Sport Stephen Stewart to allow students to request financial assistance from the University.

If elected, Ms Robson would pursue more “large-scale events.” She also hopes to hold showcase events for smaller teams, thereby building “on that sense of community and engaging with each other rather than just seeing our sport and our way forward.”

Community Ms Robson’s idea to take advantage of the Sports Centre’s redevel-

TOM

ABBOTT opment and showcase more clubs symbolises many of the ideas in her manifesto: simple and straightforward ways to effectively promote more teams at this University.

Club development Ms Robson’s long-term association with the Cheerleading Club, one of the University’s smaller sport clubs, is made apparent in her next policy focus, club development. If elected, she would balance the longterm development goals of larger clubs with the short-term needs of smaller clubs.

Ms Robson’s strategy includes bringing back pre-season as an option for all clubs, not just the University’s performance teams. She would also set up monthly meeting for clubs to discuss why they feel they have failed to perform to their best.

Representation Closely linked to her ideas regarding club development are Ms Robson’s aims for increased representation for smaller clubs. Whilst it is arguable that her emphasis should be on all clubs, the proposed implementation of a weekly office hour to meet with individual athletes is a good step and has the potential to really close the “disconnect” that Ms Robson notes has occurred between the AU and clubs in recent years.

Along with the office hour, Ms

Robson’s proposals include “broadcasting club events, highlighting successful performances,” and using social media to promote live sport at the University.

Overall, Ms Robson hopes to widen access to sport for all students and speak to club members on all levels.

She explained, “It’s only through speaking to all members [...] that you really understand all the issues and benefits people are getting from Saint Sport on personal level.”

Transparency The final part of Ms Robson’s manifesto looks at establishing a greater degree of transparency between the AU and clubs. She says this would involve updates of how the AU is working to help all clubs, publically sharing numbers on the allocation of funding and resources, and providing clear and detailed reasons for approval or denial of requests.

In theory, this would be a major step in changing the “closed shop” mentality that has come to surround the AU in recent years.

Final assessment Ms Robson’s manifesto is concise and filled with realistic and achievable goals.

If these were to come to fruition, Ms Robson’s term as AU president would make sport more inclusive, competitive, and interesting.

22

PHOTOGRAPHY

This Week in Photos

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Photos: Kylie Andrews

Featuring Label’s lastest event, Ebb and Flow

Photography editor: SAMMI CIARDI Deputy editors: Harry Gunning, Mika Schmeling thesaint-online.com/pictures

photography@thesaint-online.com

@saint_photos

Photo story: scuba diving with seals

Photos: Harry Gunning

Deputy photography editor Harry Gunning went diving with St Andrew’s Sub Aqua Club to capture seals in their natural habitat

EVENTS

events@thesaint-online.com

Photo: Harry Gunning

thesaint-online.com/events

Events editor: NATASHA FRANKS Deputy event editors: Elischke de Villiers, George Wilder @saint_ events

Were FS refunds justified?

NATASHA FRANKS Events editor

name a single charity. Even worse, those three that could name a charity do not even fully count, because a) they could only name one or two, and b) they were on the committee themselves.

I got a lot of suggestions, such as “Oh, Glitterball must be for something gay, right?” or “Christmas Ball has got to be artsy or theatrical or something.”

But no one who was not in some way involved or closely affiliated with the committee was able to give me exact names of the charitable foundations that their money had gone to.

Realistically, I am not exactly surprised at this response. What I am

In a move that launched a million memes, the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show committee elected to postpone the event’s 25th anniversary by three days. Bearing in mind that many guests had flown into St Andrews expressly for FS, the committee offered full refunds to anyone unable (or unwilling) to attend the rescheduled show. The announcement assuaged the terrified pocketbooks of dozens of internationals; it also incited a curious case of buyer’s remorse from local St Andreans.

Bearing in mind that proceeds from the event go to the Brain Tumour Charity, exactly how righteous can a refund be? The FS committee was right to offer it, but were guests right to accept?

On one hand, out-of-town guests immediately receive a free pass. The majority of ticket revenue goes toward the show itself: this includes the complimentary champagne. As charitable as FS’s end goal is, it is not unreasonable for an absent guest to hesitate at dropping £70 to £90 on an event he or she will not experience.

Similarly, guests with unbreakable plans (such as that evening’s Students’ Representative Council meeting) were warranted in their refunds. Being physically unable to attend the show is precisely why FS instituted the refund policy.

Asking for a refund should come at the discretion of each guest.

Regardless of the event’s magnanimous nature, a person’s money is their own to spend as they like.

That said, refunds are not immune to criticism.

By the day of the show, FS announced that a waiting list had formed for VIP upgrades. In comparison, the standard table plan revealed just over one hundred empty spaces.

>> see CHARITY, page 26

>> see REFUNDS, page 25

27 out of 30 students cannot name an event’s chosen charity BRIANNA PATERSON It is impossible to deny that St Andrews has a certain reputation.

Solidified by the attendance of Prince William, as well as the disproportionate amount of old Etonians that go here, St Andrews students are frequently referred to as pompous poshos by other universities.

And what really does not help this rep is frequent displays of wealth in our balls and fashion shows, all done in the name of charity. After all, while students somewhere such as Manchester or Glasgow would wail at the sight of a £90 ticket price, we all take it on the chin. Why do we have

this attitude? Well, because the money all goes to a good place.

Right?

Do not get me wrong: I think it is amazing that so many of these events end up raising large sums of money for various charitable organizations.

My question, however, is as follows.

Does the average St Andrews student actually care? After all, we are just broke students, and the extortionate prices for certain events are easier to justify when they are in the name of a good cause.

We all can stand around in Kinkell Byre clutching our complimentary Janetta’s and prosecco and pat ourselves on the back because “Oh, it’s all for charity, don’t you know?” But how

many people could actually name the charity the event supports?

I took to the streets (or rather, to the Union) to find out. By lurking in Beacon Bar, I was able to pounce upon unsuspecting students and ask them to name the charitable causes behind certain balls.

I named five of arguably the biggest events on the St Andrews student calendar: the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show, the St Andrews Charity Polo Tournament, the Mermaids’ Christmas Ball, Welly Ball, and Glitterball, and I challenged thirty people to chance a guess at what they supported.

A shocking twenty-seven people out of the thirty questioned could not

The St Andrean dress code: on standing out SARAH JOHN

The Other Guys sang it first back in 2012: “Our St Andrews girls are unforgettable, Hunter boots and Barbours on top.” Well, the Other Guys were wrong, because Hunter boots and Barbours are definitely forgettable.

In fact, they are practically invisible — as are many other things typical of the status quo here in the bubble (red trousers and Ray Bans included).

No, in a town like this, where so many people stick to the status quo and opt to fit in and go unnoticed, it is quite easy to wear something that sets you apart from the crowd and draws attention to your style. The only obstacle is summoning the confidence to execute it.

Balls, fashion shows, and other upper-tier events are arguably the most anticipated nights of the year for everyone to showcase their personal (or

impersonal) style. St Andrews prides itself on being set apart from other universities with its near constant influx of black-tie and formal events intricately woven into the fabric of St Andrews culture. Often, the deciding factor that either makes or breaks these events is what people are wearing.

In our neck of the woods, what you wear to an event matters because everyone is taking pictures of you.

You cannot afford to look ugly, and

you cannot afford to look out of place, overdressed, or underdressed, lest you want to be treated as the town pariah for the next month. At least, this is the mentality that many people have when they are deciding what to wear to the Next Big Thing.

Often, the venue of events provides some foggy regulations on what to wear. Balls located at the Old Course Hotel or the Hotel du Vin tend to advertise with a bit more grandeur

than Lower College Lawn events (although the latter can boast equally as much panache under the right organisational skills).

While balls tend to blur together and the dress code is generally stable, Kinkell Byre events require a little more thought due to the venue’s versatile nature. The chosen venue of both the Mermaids’ Christmas

>> see DRESS CODE, page 25

EVENTS

Ball and Welly Ball, as well as lowertier events like Szentek and House of Horror, the dress code for Kinkell is fluid. Christmas Ball saw a great deal of floor-length dresses as well as short ones, while Szentek called for more laid-back attire.

Then there was the disastrous Masquerave, taking place at Balgrove Larder and then at Club 601. Originally intended as a traditional, black-tie ball in true St Andrews style, it was rebranded into a more casual ordeal that was ultimately an embarrassing hit-and-miss. Not a ball gown and tuxedo affair, normal going-out clothes were worn to this event with the addition of masks.

When it comes to ladies’ outfits, the major divide between being under and overdressed lies in the length of the dress. In the weeks before a ball or major black-tie event, hushed, excited voices can be heard throughout the library: “Are you going to the ball?” followed immediately by, “Is your dress long or short?”

Such a simple question requires much thought, planning, and sleuthing.

You have to think about whether a long dress or short dress flatters you more, you have to project

ratios of long dresses to short ones, and you have to wonder if a mid-length dress is an acceptable compromise between long and short, or if it will still be too formal for an event which has every possibility of being dominated by short dresses.

Then, you have to spend a good amount of time frantically messaging your friends to ask what type of dress they are wearing. After all these numbers and logistics have been calculated, you have to sift through pages and pages of online catalogues. Soon, what was supposed to be a simple decision turns into a mind-boggler of mathematical proportions.

The overarching paradox is that people want to fit in but stand out at

the same time. People want gazes to gravitate towards them, but only for the right reasons. It is difficult, because there is such a fine line between being excessive and wearing something that peers will consider “too much” and wearing something that is just original enough to stand out while still adhering to the unofficial dress code guidelines.

It has never really been a question of whether people follow the dress code set by the event holders; it is a question of whose dress code they follow. In St Andrews, there is a tendency to act l i k e

Illustration: Rosie Catcheside

>>DRESS CODE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

is going to see the photos.

This conviction is prevalent especially at events like Opening Ball, where people were highly aware that Tatler was sending photographers to capture the best-dressed of them all.

However, Tatler is not going to take photos of people whose outfits are uniform and neglect to stand out.

They want something original, trendy, and fresh while still retaining classic, traditional ball elements without overdoing it. Nevertheless, the fear of being judged remains entrenched in many guests, so instead they opt to underplay it and wear something that lacks any originality at all. How many more of the same ASOS dress can we stomach by the time May Ball rolls around?

The irony of the situation is that high fashion plays such a major role in the lifestyle of the town, yet people are afraid of standing out. Meanwhile, the people who do stand out do not for long because before long, everyone else is wearing what they were brave enough to wear in the first place.

The question must be asked: why do we care what anyone else thinks?

Wear that gorgeous long dress that you found at Topshop even though all your friends said they would be wearing short ones. Wear a tiara to Opening Ball for no reason other than because it

25 >>REFUNDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Considering the number of guests who purchased last-minute tickets, the number of refunds requested must far exceed that figure. Surely not every one of these absent party-goers had gone out of town?

The most common argument that guests levied against FS came down to the date: Valentine’s Day. Couples would have plans involving rose petals and boxes of chocolates, as though they could not enjoy such luxuries any other night.

FS, by comparison, is an annual experience that cannot be replicated on birthdays, anniversaries, and the like.

Furthermore, the show began at 8 pm, leaving couples with more than enough time for a romantic dinner, a fantastic night out, and a torrid lovemaking session post-afterparty.

Other refunders attributed their Saturday hangovers to their reluctance to “go hard” on a Tuesday. Once again, this excuse falls flat. St Andreans have been going to Saturday night balls and Ma Bells Tuesdays for years; why should that particular Tuesday be any different?

The veneer of responsibility

sheep.

The masses will follow the one or two trendsetters who set their own dress code, no matter what the event is.

Desperate to fit in and look good in all those Ampersand photos, sacrificing personal style in favour of someone else’s taste is not uncommon.

Insecurities about fitting in and wearing the right thing are rampant in a town as focused on appearance and glamour as this one. Everyone thinks everyone cares who is wearing what, who is being photographed, where the pictures will be posted, and who

w a s nothing short of spectacular.

Should this year’s charitable donation be any less than last year’s, we know who to blame.

Hangover cure to debut at Oktoberfest 2017 NATASHA FRANKS Events editor

looks great o n you. If you are going to an event, you have to really go to the event. It will not suffice to simply make an appearance, take a few bland photos, and leave with a vague sense of dissatisfaction that you did not dazzle people as much as you could have.

You bought that ticket, now enjoy it and forget who is watching or judging.

The truth is, most o f the people judging you are riddled with insecurities themselves. Ask yourself if you really care what the sour-faced girl wearing the same little black dress as everyone else thinks about you for having the confidence and audacity to show off your own style. You can be the person whose photos you look at on Facebook and think “If only I could pull that off.” You can pull it off. The only thing stopping you is fear.

claimed by this brand of refunder can instead be attributed to a particularly selfish buyer’s remorse.

They spent £70 in January, and now, when given the chance to reclaim it, they snatch the check from the mouth of the charity for which it was intended.

And it was pure selfishness that drove them. Anyone who excitedly pre-drank for FS on Saturday night only to stay at home in bed on Tuesday ought to be ashamed.

To demand a refund from FS despite being well and able to attend was to demand a refund from the Brain Tumour Charity.

The show itself Illustration: Beatrice Herman

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Although a daytime event, Oktoberfest is known for preceding an incredibly rough morning after. From hair of the dog to a full Scottish breakfast, students struggle to tend to their hungover, bedridden selves.

If the marketing is to be believed, Survivor may be the one-size-fits-all cure that we have been waiting for.

The product attempts to target the two key hangover zones: head and stomach. To this end, it contains every vital component that a boozy night will have eradicated.

The orange drink replenishes depleted stores of electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals. Furthermore, it contains ginger and herbs chosen specifically to battle common hangover symptoms.

As if the creation of the drink were not worthy of praise in its own right, twenty per cent of profits will go to a refugee charity (the “true survivors”).

The drink itself is ritualistic in its consumption. At first sip, orange juice combines with the kick of ginger to create a revitalising sensation in the drinker.

Slight carbonation reduces stomach pains, magnesium and potassium combat muscle fatigue, and electrolytes address dehydration.

Within the bottle cap, consumers can find two pills that complement the drink. Carefully selected and medically approved, these pills provide additional vitamins that protect vital organs.

Studying the local market, it would appear that very few products exist to rival Survivor. Students frequently refer to brunch or Dominoes delivery as their go-to hangover cures. While satiating, these calorie dense meals are likely detrimental to a person’s health.

In contrast, Survivor seeks not only to reduce hangover symptoms, but to improve the health of the drinker.

Containing fruit, vitamins, and herbs, the drink could rival Gatorade as a post-workout palate cleanser.

It contends with issues of dehydration, electrolyte depletion, abdominal discomfort, headache, and exhaustion.

Despite its versatility, the drink is marketed exclusively at the hungover demographic. With a goal so specified, consumers can expect equally specialised results.

Water remains a core component of resurfacing from the depths of depravity-induced misery; however, Survivor might just be the kick needed to resurrect you entirely.

Survivor can be found at this Saturday’s St Andrews Charity Oktoberfest.

EVENTS

26

Hamlet Prince Voteof Denmark

Bacchanalia

surprised by is that most of the people questioned did not even seem to care about their ignorance. In fact, some found it funny. And then people wonder why other universities think we are snobs.

I am not saying I am blameless. Far from it. Out of the balls I have gone to, I can only name one charity that was mentioned, and that is because it was

Saying that makes me feel like a terrible human being, [but] it is comforting to learn I am not the only one

O

n Thursday 2 March, students can vote in this year’s Association elections.

O

n Friday 3 March, a uniquely boozy play will dominate Younger Ball.

Can you connect the charities?

Connect the event to the charity that it supports. Answers are upside down at the bottom of the page.

FS 2017 supports

Tayside Children with Cancer & Leukaemia

Polo 2017 supports

Local Fife charities

Oktoberfest supports

Help for Heroes

May Ball 2017 supports

Student-run plays

Szentek supports

The Brain Tumour Charity

DONT WALK supports

Class Gift

Christmas Ball supports

The Robin Hood Foundation & Salam LADC

Answers: FS, the Brain Tumour Charity; DW, Robin Hood Foundation & Salam LADC; May Ball, local Fife charities; Oktoberfest, Tayside Children; Szentek, Class Gift; Polo, Help for Heroes; Christmas Ball, studentrun (Mermaids) plays

held by the Charities Campaign. And even then, I do not know that from research; I only know it because a friend on the committee had to change their profile picture on Facebook.

When a new event rolls around and it is time to buy a ticket, I fork out the money without even thinking about where it goes. If my parents ever asked why I would be willing to spend £40 to get drunk with my friends, charity is just an excuse I can use.

It is a very superficial reason to attend, when in reality I could not care less about where my money ends up.

And while saying that makes me feel like a terrible human being, it is somewhat comforting to learn I am not the only one.

But while ignorance is somewhat excusable, are we as students actively

avoiding the charitable element of these events? Balls or other occasions that heavily promote the charitable element frequently seem to do worse than their less focused counterparts.

One example is Under Canvas, an event last year that prominently featured its support for cystic fibrosis charities in the “Take a Breath” campaign. A resounding flop, Under Canvas was unable to sell enough tickets to even host the event. Surely the fact the committee was proudly supporting a charity was not what held it back? Perhaps it was: after all, no one really wants to remember the less fortunate when they are trying to have a nice night out.

This is somewhat understandable, although not excusable. We are university students with short attention spans. When we have spent a lot of money to celebrate, it is not like we want to focus on a long talk about who exactly we are supporting. After all, that would be far too depressing for us to stop guzzling prosecco for.

It is worth noting, however, that some committees are attempting to dispel this attitude by featuring more of their charitable goals in their marketing campaigns.

The St Andrews Charity Fashion Show and the DONT WALK Charity Fashion Show collaborated this year to support One Million Miles for Ellie. The campaign raised money and awareness for people whose lives have been touched by cancer in honour of a St Andrews graduate who tragically lost her life to the illness.

The walk featured prominently in each show’s promotional materials.

This year, the St Andrews Charity Oktoberfest has altered its terms and conditions to state that anyone reselling tickets should please donate anything over the original ticket price to the supported charity rather than keep the excess money. This is no small order, considering that tickets regularly resell for over £100.

It is a step in the right direction, but we have got a long way to go. So, next time you’re considering attending one of these events, maybe try and consider where the money is going.

>>CHARITY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

O

Oktoberfest

n Saturday 4 March, the St Andrews beer festival will arrive at Kinkell Byre. Tickets are difficult to come by, and dirndls are dwindling in supply.

O

Hockey Ball

n Saturday 4 March, Hockey Ball is bigger than ever at Fingask Castle.

eight

O

Snow Ball

n Tuesday 7 March, Snowsports will host its soldout ball at the Balgove.

O

St Patrick’s Day

n Thursday 9 March, St Andrews’ only St Paddy’s Day event will mark our final pre-spring break fling.

O

Dinner at Ours

n Wednesday 8 March, Dinner at Ours will unveil an intimate brand of performance.

O

Women’s Day

n Wednesday 8 March, St Andreans can celebrate international women’s day. Several societies have banded together to host an event at St Mary’s Quad from 1 to 4 pm.

ARTS & CULTURE Arts & culture editors: TIFFANY BLACK, RICHARD JOSEPH

Deputy editors: Emily King, Sam Huckstep, Hannah Ritchie, Samantha Phillips, Christopher Wilde, Daisy Treloar, Lauren McGowan, Tom Williams, Emme Hollingsworth

arts@thesaint-online.com

@saint_arts

Photo: Wax Rooms

thesaint-online.com/reviews

ARTS & CULTURE

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Photo: Romeo & Juliet

Photo: King Lear

28

Shakespeare in St Andrews: an interview Talking nudes, gender bending and disrespecting Shakespeare with three directors taking on the Bard this semester

TIFFANY BLACK Arts and culture editor Is Shakespeare in St Andrews just for this year? Or are you hoping for it to be annual?

Oli Savage: Well, now you mention it (they laugh).

Olli Gilford: The explicit plan is that we’re doing this now, but whatever happens in the future happens in the future.

The Saint: So you’re open to other directors becoming involved?

OS: Definitely, it’s not an exclusive club. It’s more, individually we all wanted to put on these shows, and it just so happened we were going up around a similar time, so it better to band together.

Hannah Ritchie: I think it’s also a great opportunity to bring Shakespeare out to people too. Most people’s first interaction with it was an uninspiring, classroom. We’re trying to remind students, that these texts were originally for performance.

Why were you drawn to put on Shakespearean productions?

OG: I’ve always enjoyed being in Shakespeare plays since I was very young. I saw Two Gentleman of Verona in my final year of school, at Stratford by the RSC. I was blown away, by this pure comedy. So, went back - looked at it, read it, read about the history. Nowadays people have grown to appreciate it for the beautiful, broken hot mess that it is. It is very green- the verse is all over the place, it has a very strange sudden twist ending, but I love it all the more for its flaws. There are great parts in the play too and especially great comedy parts, some light relief for a season of pretty intense theatre.

HR: Conversely, Oli and I went for two of the most famous Shakespeare plays! I studied King Lear, in my second last year of High School, very intensely. I just fell in love with it. The story is so huge in terms of scale, it begins in a royal court and then so much of it happens in front of a castle, or out on this mysterious, wild heath in a storm, but at it’s heart it’s still a family drama. I really wanted to do a

production, which explored the familial power aspect of it. What if we look at Lear as a man instead of a King. As I wanted to focus on power so much, I thought, how do we do this and go beyond something like gender which we’re all socialised to see: have all the characters be played by actors of the same gender. This also helps solve the issue or lack or female roles in this town. Audiences aren’t stupid, it’s not my job to spoon feed them, but I’m hoping they’ll see that this was a tragedy written hundreds of years ago, but still has messages about family, power, ambition, that are still relevant and relatable today.

OS: So, I used to hate Shakespeare, right up until the age of 16. The first show I was ever in, I played Montague.

And I hated it. I hated it so much. I struggled with learning the lines. I thought the language was stupid, and that the whole thing was ridiculous.

Then, I moved schools and played Caius Caseus in Julius Caeasar. With that teacher, it was really a lot o fun, we dissected the show and the role very differently, and with a lot less respect than the teacher before had.

And, I think that’s really important.

A lot of people, say the key thing is to respect Shakespeare and to be honest I think that’s bollocks. You’ve got to respect the language, and the way that he writes, but if you go in with reverence then you’re going to come out with a bad piece of theatre. You can’t be afraid of ripping up the text.

At the end of the day, all Shakespeare hands you is words on the page, and it’s your job as director to bring those words to life.

OG: If we did approach Shakespeare with reverence, we wouldn’t be doing justice to what he did anyway, all that he did was take history, mythology and cut, remix them put his own twist on them. I think he’d be disappointed in you, if we didn’t.

HR: I really liked what Oli said about ripping up the text, that’s something I’ve done with King Lear, because it’s so long, and Western audiences, especially contemporary ones aren’t used to sitting down for 3/4 hours. In Shakespeare’s time that was the main form of entertainment, now there are so many different things pulling on our time. I’ve taken out so much of it, but it still works. I think that’s the beauty of Shakespeare, if you approach it the way he approached his source material, you can put your own mark on it, and then the cast can also bring their ideas. I’ve had some really fun negotiations in the rehearsal room, because the language it still quite remote.

The Saint: I’ve seen a few versions of Hamlet, where it’s funny, and an actor has managed to make a line dirty or ironic.

OS: Yeah, I think it’s better like that. If you’re reading Shakespeare and you’re not digging for the penis jokes, then you’re probably not reading Shakespeare right.

HR: Honestly!!

OS: Especially with Romeo and Juliet, which is essentially all about sex. There are two or three scenes, where you’re just like ‘this is a penis joke, this is a penis joke’, and even the one line that isn’t, makes some sort of

archaic reference, and we’ll look up the meaning, and it also means penis.

HR: Even King Lear opens with laddish, sexual based humour.

Gloucester comes on, and he’s boasting to Kent about ‘getting some’ but outside of marriage. That’s the great thing about Shakespeare, he’s not afraid to poke fun at things, at hypocrisy in society. Even in tragedies there are penis jokes, the humour, the stock characters of fools. He knew how to entertain people.

OG: He was writing mass entertainment. When it comes down to it, the story is the most important thing, and that’s what as directors we’re trying to bring out of it.

What’s the rationale behind the queering of R+J, and Lear?

OS: About six months ago, I had an interesting discussion with a few friends, including Caitlin now playing Romeo in which I said, never, ever will I queer Romeo & Juliet, because I was concerned it would detract from the main message of the show- the link between performance, sexuality and conflict. And then Trump happened. I was in this bubble before that. Now, it feels like LGBTQ issues are at a turning point, they’re in jeopardy. We’ve looked at the three most traditionally masculine figures in Romeo and Juliet (Friar Lawrence, Romeo, Tybalt) and once you flip them on their heads, really interesting traits begin to emerge. Not just about those characters individually, but the way the conflict functions, and how women living in a patriarchal society have to perform their gender and sexuality in order to feel like they can

achieve certain goals.

HR: That was part of my approach for Lear as well. I think this was taken from an interview, with Harriet Walter the writer of Brutus and Other Heroines, which was partly an inspiration for me. She’s been part of the Donmar all female Shakespeare series, and was talking about how she’d played both sexes in Shakespeare throughout her acting career. Casting women in male roles in Shakespeare, you realize there are lines, which are quite performative. Lear says ‘Let not these women’s weapons’ and he’s talking about tears, but now I have a female actor saying that. Yelling, at someone playing her daughter, but also to herself and it’s examining the performance of gender and power.

OG: I just wanted to say, the reason I’m not queering the show, is firstly, practical -there’s only a certain amount of women actors in St Andrews! But, also unlike the other two shows people will come in maybe not knowing anything about Two Gentlemen. Our job is to tell the story in a very clear, concise and hopefully entertaining way. It is just straight up a romantic comedy, until the end...!

The Saint: That was one thing I was going to ask, are the women playing men in Lear or playing the roles female?

HR: They’re not playing either we’re trying not to play gender at all.

We’re really trying to root the actors in the text, play the emotion and motivations. A lot of them aren’t gendered motivations and feelings and roles, so we’re explicitly avoiding obviously gendered portrayals. In Jerusalem, I’ve learnt not just how to be a man, but transform myself. It’s so far removed from anything I’ve ever done before. Working with Al has given me the kind of wisdom to help work with my actors.

The Saint: And then the conversation spiralled into rogue Shakespearian adaptations-including boxing rings, sports teams and maybe even splitting the history plays between them.

I for one, hope they continue to provoke and inspire each other, and pull off even more outlandish Shakespearian adaptations in the coming years.

ARTS & CULTURE

Elle: Complex Instinct Right from its establishing image, Elle shocks. The rape of the film’s protagonist, Michèle (Isabelle Huppert), is heard before seen -and filmed in such a way that the audience might perceive as consensual. From the off the film addresses the themes of complicity that will prove so directly challenging throughout. That this opening audio gasps over the name of its director, Paul Verhoeven, is equally telling. The man who brought the world Basic Instinct is back, after a decade’s hiatus, with a bang.

A black cat surrogates the audience through the rape as the passive onlooker engaged in pure voyeuristic spectatorship. Perhaps the most shocking element of the sequence, however, comes once her assailant

Elle’s is a world heightened and tense where women are made dangerous. has fled the scene. Michèle’s response to the rape is startling: she tidies up and gets on with her day. The broken china, representative perhaps of a shattered psyche, is swept up and disposed with. Michèle belongs to the French coffee-house culture where, here literally, the cups are as empty as the society to which they symbolize. It’s a world uncomfortably alive in parallel to its sadistic reality, but one with the determination to simply carry on. Through each and every torment that befalls her, Michèle never fails to rebound as the embodiment of exquisite chic. Her hair never out of place, her sunglasses always at hand and apartment unfailingly designer.

When Judith Magre’s Irène, Michèle’s mother - a botoxed, Joan Collins type with toyboy in tow - later asks if anything has happened awry, Michèle replies: “No, nothing special.“ Indeed, she withholds mention of the incident until in conversation at a

well-to-do restaurant. Michèle drops her bombshell as though announcing that she’d recently changed toiletry brands in a scene peaking with the delivery of the darkly comic line: “I’d give it a moment before popping that” to their bottle-wielding waiter. Elle is one part psychological rape-revenge thriller, the other riotously funny satire. Be prepared.

As if the traumas of assault and ceaseless faux-pas of her mother were not enough, Michèle is also burdened with the men of her life: a psychotic father imprisoned for a series of sadistic murders in the 70s, in which Michèle is somehow implicated; a half-wit son in a quasi-abusive relationship with his philanderous and pregnant girlfriend; and a weak and penniless ex-husband. The plot, based on Philippe Djian’s novel: Oh..., is deeply psychoanalytical. Elle’s is a world heightened and tense where women are made dangerous. The threat of castration is tangible. Some have already proclaimed the film misogynistic but that’s far too simplistic a response.

Verhoeven seems to tempt you into discomfort throughout. Michèle is the co-CEO of a hyperreal video gaming company manufacturing products that disgust and yet strike close to home with the likes of Warcraft.

Naked women exploitatively pose for photographs in Michèle’s workplace; a crude reading might suggest that she were inviting her own twisted fate, complicit in the promulgation of sexual violence. Such an interpretation, however, would fall into the trap of proposing that a sexually active and empowered life is one which a woman may not lead; that she must be chaste and adhere to Hitchcock’s femme fatale. The sexual issues in Elle are so entangled, so slippery, that it’s often nigh on impossible to know where to stand. As Michèle, Huppert is from the start the automatic earner of our sympathies, but this instinct is challenged as a far more complex character emerges, one terribly mistreated and yet furiously in control.

Verhoeven’s direction is excellent, the script taught and production first rate, but Huppert is the main attraction. Elle est exceptionnelle. I don’t know what disturbed me most about Elle: the brutal violence, the deeply controversial gender politics, or just how thoroughly I enjoyed the experience. Some are going to hate it, some, like me, will love it. Everyone will be talking about it.

Photo: IMDB

TOBY SYMONDS

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Photo: USgamer.net

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Fumito Ueda: design by subtraction BENJAMIN SHWARTZ It’s easy to forget how young the medium of games is. Most art forms have had decades, centuries, or millennia to evolve, but gaming is so young and has changed so rapidly that games barely a decade old are already considered a part of “gaming history.” What’s strangest to consider is that some of the major events in gaming that have defined it as an art form, and will continue to define the medium for years to come, occurred in our own childhoods. Two games in particular from the early 2000s, in the Playstation 2 era, jump out as being especially impactful, as well as tragically under-appreciated by many casual gamers. I’m referring to some of the earliest examples of gaming beginning to realise its potential as a legitimate art form; the works of Fumito Ueda, specifically Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.

These games, released in 2001 and 2005 respectively, were extremely unique. Gaming at the time was

Games barely a decade old are already considered a part of “gaming history” largely about fun and excitement, and while narratively driven games did exist, they did so mostly in the form of dialogue-heavy, intricately plotted RPGs. Yet Ueda’s works stood out, defying easy categorization or description. Alongside garnering intense critical acclaim, the games championed a design philosophy which was relatively unseen at the time; “design by

subtraction.”

What defined Ueda’s games, and this design philosophy, was an extreme dedication to minimalism; subtracting anything from the game that wasn’t necessary. When developing Ico, a game in which a cursed boy attempts to escort a princess through a castle, Ueda ended up mercilessly cutting absolutely everything that he didn’t feel was strictly necessary, or anything that didn’t strongly contribute to the feel and themes of the game. Dialogue, extraneous gameplay systems, areas, even elements of the head-up display were all stripped out, leaving a game that felt bare, yet focused. Although he loosened up a little bit for Shadow of the Colossus, the same design philosophy was used, and the game, which features 16 battles (essentially boss fights) with huge colossi, became one of the first “boss-rush” games, with tedious filler enemies cut out and the game paced around the intense highs of the colossus battles.

It’s hard to chart out exactly which influences led to certain games being made, but these games, with their minimalist gameplay, stories, and aesthetics alongside incredibly strong thematic elements, have been cited by numerous developers as major influences. Ico resonated so strongly with Hidetaka Miyazaki (the creative genius behind Dark Souls), that it led to him quitting his previous job and becoming a game developer, meaning that some of the most artistically rich games that have ever been made can be clearly traced back to Ueda. The form of his influence is clear when playing Souls; the lack of overt narrative, the stark environments, and the lack of mechanical clutter echo the minimalism of Ueda’s work, and just like Ico, Souls appears to have cut anything that doesn’t reinforce the feel and themes of its world.

So we can attribute Souls to the influence of Ueda, and as an extension, the entire blossoming genre, newly arisen following the success of Souls and being partly defined by minimalism. Yet design by subtraction extends to more than this single game.

Although the triple-A gaming scene tends to feature games overloaded

with overt narrative and gameplay systems, the indie game scene seemingly owes a lot to Ueda. What many indie games have borrowed from Ueda’s works are a focus on the “feel” over overt substance and clear narrative. Games, being an experiential medium, have many ways to engage, and one is by making a game that’s less about telling a story or providing

Defined. by subtracting anything from the game that wasn’t necessary a challenge than it is about leading a player through an experience, building up ‘feel’ through visuals, music, and gameplay. Many beautiful indie games have been produced using this philosophy; games like Journey, Limbo, and Hyper Light Drifter are just some examples of successful games that aim primarily to build “feel”. Like Ueda’s games, anything that doesn’t specifically contribute to the feel, themes, and experience is cut, and the result is that some of these games (Journey in particular) provide some of the most intense, satisfying, and unique gaming experiences imaginable. Indeed, the developers of some of these games directly cite Ueda as inspiration, as do countless other indie developers.

An entire book could be written about the design of Ueda’s games, and the myriad knock-on effects they’ve had, meaning that this is little more than a surface examination. But a surface examination is all we need to see how influential these games have been, popularising entire design philosophies and even a genre, it’s clear that a huge part of what gaming is today, and it’s success as an art form, can be attributed to Fumito Ueda.

ARTS & CULTURE

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Photo: Wax Rooms

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Waxing eloquent on wax collective KENYAN ANG

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n January 2016, two St Andrews students and friends visited Germany.

The duo were long-time fans of the fine German techno scene: the dark, underground grit and sweat, nights dancing until 4 am, and best of all, the unconditional, immersive joy and vibrancy fostered by the beats. The duo joked about starting a techno society in St Andrews, and soon messaged their other friend about the joke. Not long after, the joke turned to bona fide idea, and The Wax Collective (formerly known as Stechno) was established.

With a tomato juice and two beers, Bastian Geiger, Ollie McKenzie, and Max Moorhouse filed into the Russell Hotel with me. We were meeting to discuss the Wax Collective, its beginnings, and its ultimate transformation into one of St Andrew’s most talked about and anticipated set of events.

The trio were bubbling with enthusiasm, eagerly chatting away with me even before entering the hotel; it was clear how much the Wax Collective project meant to them, and how much more is in store for them to produce.

The Wax Collective is a student movement founded on friendship and an honest, open, and carefree passion for music and human connection. Just last semester, the student group became an independent organisation, and while the idea was formulated by these three students, the Wax Collective is equally worked on and continued today with the help of fellow students Joel Andersson, Marcus Cork-Keeling, and Harry Woolley.

“It’s not like St Andrews was bleak,” says Mr McKenzie. “It was just that we liked techno music and it wasn’t really represented.”

The friends, tired of the Vic and 601, found themselves increasingly escaping the town, hitting up Edinburgh and Glasgow for nights out and relishing the techno scene where they could. For them, the creation of the Wax Collective was not due to a lack in St Andrews, but the result of a yearning for something they all mutually enjoyed.

With queues down Bell Street and participating headliners such as

Edinburgh based DJ Gav Miller, it is hard to believe that the Wax Collective had such humble beginnings. The first ever Wax Collective “Wax Rooms” event, which was hosted in October 2016, featured a Spotify playlist, a dingy cellar, and a dozen or so friends.

“Our first round at Aikmans

With Flash Rooms, we had the theme of a house party, but without the bouncers didn’t have much of an outreach,” Mr McKenzie admits. “It didn’t tick off at all.”

But this initial image was quickly replaced with live music sets, professional monitors and equipment, and most importantly, sweaty, smiling, dancing crowds.

“The success we’ve had this past month or so has really given us a confidence boost and idea of what is achievable,” Mr McKenzie continues.

Currently, the Collective hosts three stages of events: Wax Rooms, Big Rooms, and most recently, Flash Rooms. The series of events reflects the constant flow of ideas, and the steady transition from thought to manifestation so characteristic of the Wax Collective.

The first event hosted was a Wax Room, now regularly hosted at Aikman’s on the last Sunday of every month. This series of events is reminiscent of the underground, gritty, grimy aspect of the techno world, and regularly feature both local student DJs as well as upcoming DJs from around the UK. Just last month, DJ Wreckless Kettle of Glasgow headlined the first Wax Rooms of 2017, while student DJ

Marcus Cork-Keeling played his first live set at a session of Wax Rooms. Big Rooms, meanwhile, is representative of the larger, and as Mr Moorhouse said, more “institutionalised” techno scene, as it is hosted in 601 and aimed to showcase a few local St Andrews DJs, leading up to a headliner.

“People are paying for this sort of event, so we want to give them something that is worth their money,” says Mr Geiger.

Nonetheless, these more “commercialised” techno nights continue to include student DJs, with student Tom Hurst performing his first set at Queer Collective, the collaboration between Big Rooms and the St Andrews LGBT + society, Saints LGBT+, that occurred on 9th February.

Flash Rooms incorporates the trio’s latest idea and is a perfect example of the students’ energy and commitment to convert actions into words. A night of techno just like Wax Rooms and Big Rooms, Flash Rooms introduces a new level of mystery and excitement, as guests are told about the event, but not the location of it until a couple hours before it is to start. The idea was in part, a product of their circumstances. After the St Andrews Charity Fashion Show was abruptly cancelled this month, the techno enthusiasts struck again.

“A St Andrews based DJ messaged us after FS was cancelled, saying ‘why don’t we do something?’” Mr Moorhouse recalls.

Using speakers and the necessary equipment provided by a student DJ, the Collective went in search for a venue, asking the Vic, Union and Rule if they could host an event that evening.

The spontaneity was exciting, and the idea even more thrilling, egging the boys on. Eventually, they found a house to hold the venue at, and within an hour of receiving that text, the Wax Collective had a yet another type of techno event to share with the town.

“With Flash Rooms,” says Mr McKenzie, we had the theme of a house party, but without the bouncers.”

Having all three of these aspects, the Wax Collective reflects a real electronic music culture one might find in cities.

“You now have house, underground, and club nights all for your choosing,” explains Mr Geiger.

Additionally, the variation in size of events allows student DJs more freedom to create and explore their own work.

“Joel, one of our DJs, used to DJ at the union and main bar, but they have restrictions,” Mr Geiger continues.

“Through the Wax Collective, he can really play what he wants to.”

The trio discussed the importance of the reception at such events. How the crowds interact with the music and space they are in, as well as how they engage with one another fosters the community that they have unknowingly cultivate.

“From Stechno to the Wax Collective, our idea stopped being about just techno, and more about how electronic music might bring people together,” says Mr McKenzie.

As Wax Rooms are on Sunday

Members of the LGBT+ society said it was the first time they felt properly safe on a night out nights, attendees drawn to the events would surely include those keen on experimenting.

“A Sunday night at Aikman’s, you’re only going to get people that are really, really into it,” Mr McKenzie continues.

The boys also admitted how important the venue is to their events.

“The basement has the best atmosphere for an underground rave,” Geiger notes. “You’ve got a place called the Cellar, and so of course it’s got this underground cellar vibe.

I work at Aikman’s, and I’ve worked lots of the Wax Rooms, and I can say

that I absolutely love it. You can really lose yourself there.”

“Ultimately, in the history of techno, it has been about giving people a space where they can be completely free,” Mr McKenzie adds.

Mr Moorhouse cites this as their biggest goal that they hope to continue, while Mr Geiger admitted their constant hopes that they might bring people a ‘first opportunity’, the chance to try and experience something new. With techno, people can interpret the music however they please, and dance however they feel.

The founders noted the importance of keeping their events free of judgement and open to everyone.

“We have meetings frequently,” says Mr Geiger, “And there’s a lot of communication and dedication. From the beginning, we’ve stayed true to what we want to be and never deviate from it. We don’t let our egos get involved.”

Mr Moorhouse proudly mentions the best compliment the group have received: “After Queer Collective (the first Wax Collective Big Rooms), members of the LGBT+ society said it was the first time they felt properly safe on a night out because of the crowd, and what it was about. To us, that is the best thing that we could possibly hear from our audience.”

The Wax Collective is just getting started, and Geiger, McKenzie, Moorhouse and the rest of the Wax Collective have nothing but enthusiasm and energy for what they are doing.

“We have a lot of ambition, certain goals and one dream,” Mr Geiger explains. “We set goals for ourselves.”

The product of such steadfast friendship and genuine love for techno amongst the six committee members is the continued growth and increasing longevity of the Wax Collective. These students are sharing something special to them with the rest of the St Andrews community, and are only building on from what they have begun.

The Wax Collective’s have two Wax Rooms in store, both on the 26th of February and March. To stay updated on their events and more, like their page on Facebook at “The Wax Collective.”

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Photo: Wikimedia

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

St Andrews brings film-making to you LASZLO SZEGEDI

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ilm-making is becoming increasingly accessible to all of us.

Reaching into our pockets to grab our phones and record the experience we are taking part in now blurs the line between a conscious decision and a reflex. Whether it’s an uplifting moment at a concert, a rarely seen animal crossing our path, or simply our friends doing something crazy, owning a phone provides the opportunity to preserve our memories and perpetuate these moments as mini motion pictures. Being struck by inspiration, pulling out a mobile, choosing a filter

Film-making now blurs the line between a conscious decision and a reflex and making some last minute edits before hitting upload are an imitation of the first steps of making a real motion picture.

A common misconception about film-making opportunities for students is the need for “proper” equipment. With the most accessible recording device being a phone, this can easily be considered a privilege for a starting point. For owners of more refined devices such as portable sport camcorders or DSLR cameras, there is of course a higher chance to manipulate light, capture movement, and record in more extreme locations.

However, these aren’t necessary.

Experimenting with expensive equipment is similar to earning power-ups in video games - it’s better than square one, but not indispensable in reaching your goal. There are no exclusive requirements to making a movie besides ambition.

But do you need to study film to make a movie? Of course not! Many filmmakers end up in the industry without any prior education in film studies, a prime example being St Andrews alumnus Ian McDiarmid, who studied psychology before moving on to play the Emperor in the Star Wars franchise. If you have an idea, it’s worth bringing to fruition regardless of your experience in film.

However, finding an audience might be a harder task. The search for contests online certainly requires time and effort, but there is plenty out there aimed at amateur filmmakers.

Film fests such as the Mobile Motion or the Smartphone Film Festivals accept entries produced entirely with phones. For those aspiring to engage in communal projects, “Shooting Star” assembles students and experienced filmmakers in an attempt to provide the necessary collaborative talent for first films. They also organize film contests, and writers can submit their drafts to Script Pitches. There is a regular participation fee of £39.95/ year, but students can benefit from the discount of a promo code, which decreases this to £24.95. A similar online community is Hitrecord, which is not exclusive to film-making and accepts submissions of any artistic nature, including music, poetry, singing, graphic design, photography, etc.

The company is owned by (500) Days of Summer star, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and helps members find the right people for passion projects. Unlike for Shooting Star, there is no required entry fee here.

To narrow down the perspective on film-making opportunities in St Andrews, there are multiple film

festivals usually happening early in the second semester. One of these is the Green Film Festival, which is a non-profit, week-long event first organized in 2013. This year’s festival took place between 6 and 13 February, but the committee hosts discussions and debates throughout the year.

According to their website, the Green Film events are “targeted toward individuals of all ages, with the hope that they will engage in productive discussion of environmental issues and the ways in which they can be addressed.”

The upcoming Culture Y Film Festival accepts short films that explore the influence of aspects of culture on identity. Films should be five to ten minutes long, and any sort of equipment is permitted to create the projects.

“Culture Y is a film festival dedicated to premièring student-created short films that showcase the diversity and artistic expression of the St Andrews student body”, states the information pack on the team’s Facebook page. With the creative freedom and the communal experience guaranteed by Culture Y, students can find new ways of self-expression as well as forming bonds with others based on mutual interests. The screenings of this year’s entries will take place in April.

A major film-related event in March is the 60-Hour Film Blitz, which encourages participants to create 3-minute short films based on a theme. One of the major attractions of the Blitz is the involvement of Joe Russo, one of the directing brothers behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier as well as Civil War. Russo returns this year to join the jury in selecting the projects that will receive awards in their respective categories, gleefully imitating the Oscars.

Kit Klaes, School President of Film Studies, highlights, “It’s a community film festival. We try to em-

phasise that it’s community-wide, because some people think they have to be in film studies, but you don’t even have to be a student, you can just be from St Andrews and get involved.”

Ms Klaes is also a member of the committee behind the Blitz. Directing her attention to the organization process, she went into detail about why

Filmmaking opportunities ... there are multiple film festivals early in the second semester this event is special for aspiring filmmakers in St Andrews. “In the past few years, (…) during the first semester, Robert Burgoyne from the Film Department, Karen [Drysdale], the Department Secretary and I will meet to make sure the dates are booked.

“We try to do it right before the break, then I email out film students to see whether they want to be on the organizing team.

“We always get a very large poll of students that are interested in engaging with it. We start meeting and brainstorming. The past few years we did ‘be inspired by a song’ and “be inspired by a painting”, and this year it’s “‘be inspired by a poem.’

“We think that in the short time frame the films should have some sort of restriction. When you tell people ‘Oh, you can do what you want’, they end up being a little nervous, so this

gives them some direction. Two years ago, we had this idea of ‘be inspired by music’ in a way to combine different forms of art and see how they can inspire each other. So this year, the committee decided to do poems because when you read something, there is one way of imagining it in your head, and it’s another way to bring those ideas to life.”

Ms Klaes also addressed the dilemma surrounding equipment. “I think that people sometimes get inside their head, ‘If I don’t have a fancy camera, I can’t make a film.’ Most people will have a phone equipped with some sort of camera, but we do have a list of resources from lighting to cameras and tripods that people can rent.”

“The Department [of Film Studies] has recently developed an inventory of equipment that we purchased last year for the Blitz, and now we have a policy. Students can come for them any time of the year, except for during the Blitz because we need them for it.”

When asked about further possibilities to make films, Kit highlighted an upcoming project led by Bubble TV. “In the past, [Bubble TV] has been more involved with journalism in terms of reporting on events and making videos of events in St Andrews.

This year we’re working on a short film; we accept scripts until 1 March.

We’re accepting scripts of up to 10 minutes and then we’ll produce one or two.”

And if you’re still in need of inspiration look no further. Check out Sean Baker’s 2015 film Tangerine, shot entirely on an iPhone 5s or the music video to Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes’ No Love Like Yours filmed using an iPhone 6s and directed by actress Olivia Wilde. Start small (maybe the memorial to beloved cat Hamish) and who knows where your film-making journey will take you.

One thing is certain, St Andrews offers the perfect beginning.

ARTS & CULTURE

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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The fun way or the runway: using high fashion in your outfit midst a flurry of St. Andrews’ fashion events and international intrigue at the renowned New York and London Fashion weeks, inspiration abounds to rejuvenate your wardrobe, even if it can seem a little overwhelming.

The base of every fabulous outfit starts beneath what meets the eye.

With the surge of translucent daywear garments, the selected underpinnings are increasingly “on display.” Aim for comfort and confidence. Runway wears feature matching sets, including full corset and stockings. Bring

Dynamic prints, frequently sported across the runways, introduce character and colour this to a more practical domain, with a balcony bra or even trendier long-line bralette. St. Andrews fashion shows not only presented a display of proper lingerie, but also for men and women alike, a sampling of ever-popular cotton basics.

New York Fashion Week introduced blaring trends including the prevalence of blue-hued articles, the continued reign of the crop top set, retro flare evident in both blouses and

wearing UK manufactured Dazzle & Jolt which provide ”colourful, playful apparel for those not afraid to stand out!” Their designs often incorporating “prints with a graphic twist and a kaleidoscope of exotic animals, tropical fruits, geometrics and cosmic wonders.”

This year, fashion shows were leaning toward more translucent materials, vintage inspired floral prints, more classic cuts, backless beauties, and a rich mixture of textures.

From cocktail length to full gowns, backless dresses are becoming more elegant despite their present mainstream access. Paired with stellar heels and generally more simple accessories and less gaudy jewellery, the backless dress is increasingly welcome at the numerous formal functions hosted around the university. Seen below is a backless gown, also featuring side cut outs of slashed material, from the St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show.

Another photograph from the recent St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show presents a model in a two-piece set, the shoulderless top heavy in texture and dramatically embellished, pairs perfectly with a reptile printed skirt, with a noticeably daring slit. The com-

bination was paired with a lace choker necklace, a more styled alternative to the pedestrian trend.

Menswear, too, saw a great surge of stylistic activity. Layering, appropriate for seasonal irregularity, proved quite popular across fashion houses. The St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show styled a male model including with a pink button down peeking out beneath an orange sports pullover topped with a light blue jacket.

This pairing not only exemplified the importance of layering, but also colour!

Colour is a major component! As expected, denim took centre stage; however, unexpectedly in an unconventional blend of casual concepts intertwined with formal wears.

Overall, menswear in high fashion and our local student runways proved intriguing and aesthetically insightful.

Revamp your wardrobe with some of these inspiring runway pieces and bring a little high fashion into your everyday style. No occasion is too small and no style is too big! Have some fun exploring your stylistic limits.

Photo: Dazzle and Jolt

A

but embody a more casual aesthetic.

While Topshop inspires the translucent baby blue pullover and denim mini skirt. For real runway fashions at more reasonable prices, check our Topshop’s ‘Top Picks.” Also explore Topshop’s “Shop the Front Row” for celebrity looks.

Everyday styles to also try include, more bohemian crop sets, wide cut trousers, dynamic prints, Bardot (off the shoulder) dresses, and lots of ruffles and frills. Springtime presents the perfect environment to embrace a more loose and adventurous style.

Wide cut trousers offer a welcome alternative to skin tight jeans and leggings. Dynamic prints, frequently sported across the runways, introduce character and colour. From dress hems, to shoulder caps, scarves, and skirts, ruffles and smaller frills are everywhere this season; in stark contrast to the harsh abrasion of street style or minimalist objectives, the frills breathe light and flare into this season’s style. However seemingly antiquated, off the shoulder dresses, known as Bardot dresses, are everywhere and easily accessible through mainstream fashion. The included photography depicts Catwalk models

Photo:FS/PWC

Fashion editor

trousers, dynamic prints, and the transition into more feminine, floral styles for spring and summer. St. Andrews’ Fashion Shows, especially Catwalk and the St. Andrews Charity Fashion Show, displayed vivid colours and bold prints. Such styles can easily be accommodated into every wardrobe.

The included photograph pictures six models across New York Fashion Week, which ran from 9-15 February.

The models present an intricate translucent overlay in a high-neck set, a classic ice blue/grey day dress, a collared crisp cotton button-down dress with bell sleeves, a floral lace overlay evening dress, a juxtaposition of denim presented with both flared trousers and flared sleeves, and finally a bright and garish bodycon mini.

Two individual “everyday wear’”styles seem particularly attainable drawing on fashion shows from this year. First, keep to the classic and highly popular all black look. Mix leather and lace in this jaw-dropping combination. Bring in some fresh inspiration with a bell blouse; Topshop describes this feature as a “flute crinkle sleeve.” Next, pair the blouse with a fitted leather, or faux leather, skirt. Finally accessorise with some more mainstream over the knee boots and pair with striking sunglasses.

This look presents a new take on the deemed “urban standard.” Incredibly chic and arguably classic, this all black look can go from day to night.

Second, pull greater inspiration, hot from the runway, with a translucent, silken top. The delicate straps and embellished ruffles give feminine flare. Match this statement piece with trendy denim; go for the ripped, ultra-distressed, cuffed, and even studded variety. Accessorising is key to completing this look. Bring in a vintage floral flare with peony earrings. Aim for blush tone+d tint, lipstick, and polish. Additionally, utilise a saddlebag in powder blue.

For an effortless look, this combination will certainly make a statement,

Photo: FS/PWC

EMMA HOLLINGSWORTH

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

THE RISE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OSKAR LEIMKUHLER

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rtificial intelligence (AI) taking over the world is not a distant existential fear, it is an immediate concern that is being overlooked by policy makers. The malevolent selfaware computer is ubiquitous in popular culture thanks to its pivotal role in science fiction, but because of its capacity to help solve many of our most urgent problems AI is fast becoming reality. In science, medicine, finance and data processing, as well as many other fields, artificial intelligence has the potential to remodel our world, and the dawn of the truly malicious machines is probably not a cause for panic on any reasonable timescale.

However there are much more pressing issues that are being overshadowed. The AI is the ultimate form of automation, and there is a systemic complacency to address what will become a major revolution in the labour market and wider society, perhaps sooner than we think.

Computerisation is the newest contributor to the phenomenon of technological unemployment, a term popularised in the 1930s in response to machines causing redundancy for manufacturing workers. Today the robots are advancing not only into factories but also into offices and call centres. An artificial intelligence is loosely defined as a machine that acts based on its perceived environment in order to maximise some objective.

An AI typically displays some aspects of human intelligence, such as learning and problem solving, only without needing to be paid a wage to apply them. For now, the most easily automated tasks are those that are repetitive and have a limited, well defined scope. Creative and high level jobs that involve flexible thinking are not at risk in the near future, nor are lower paying jobs that require a high degree of non-repetitive physical exertion, such as janitors and plumbers. An oft-cited 2013 study by Carl Frey and Michael Osborne from the University of Oxford warns of a current trend towards labour market polarization, with growing employment in high-income cognitive jobs and low-income manual occupations, accompanied by a hollowing-out of middle-income routine jobs. The same study found that 47 per cent of all employment in the United States is potentially under threat from computerised automation.

Market research company Forrester published a report last year that claimed 6 per cent of American jobs will be eliminated by 2021, due to advances in AI and cognitive technology. The societal change brought on by such a rapid shift in employment would be staggering. Among the most commonly used examples as a source of immediate technological redundancy is self-driving cars, which are already in use in Singapore, and are being introduced now by transportation company Uber in the United States. There has been much speculation

about autonomous vehicles forcing drivers into obsolescence, but industry experts are divided on how long such a transformation would take. Accountancy, one of the oldest and historically most lucrative professions, is a possible target for robot replacement, but many argue that new technology is more likely to aid accountants than supersede them altogether.

Today, tasks involving sufficient adjustability still require a human to do them. A different kind of computation is being de-

ve l oped, howe v e r , that is expanding the limits of what it can be applied to.

Machine learning is employed when it is difficult to create an explicit set of instructions to solve a c o m plex

problem. Computers can be programmed to learn for themselves how to adapt to challenging situations, and advances have demonstrated that these algorithms can be incredibly powerful. One of the ways to achieve this is with what is called an artificial neural network, which mimics the way that information is processed by connected synapses in the human brain. Machine learning al-

gorithms and neural networks have had their spot in the press, with IBM’s Watson winning the TV game show “Jeopardy” in 2011, and more recently DeepMind’s AlphaGo taking the limelight for defeating the world Go champion in 2016. Every tech giant is investigating machine learning to some extent. There was a time when text translation programs were limited to words or short phrases, being incapable of faithfully converting an entire sentence, often to hilarious effect. In November last year Google Translate began to implement its new neural network based translation engine, and the program can now handle entire paragraphs with relative success. If this sounds unbelievable, try it.

Among others, founding computer scientist and mathematician John Von Neumann asked the question of what happens when the AI learns to reprogram itself. He argued that once a computer is built that is able to modify and improve itself, the rate at which it will develop will prevent any further human control over it.

This is referred to as the technological singularity, and at this point it becomes vitally important to take care in specifying the computer’s goals. The AI does not have to be self-aware to cause damage to us. Eliezer Yudkowsky, co-founder of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute in Berkeley, provides as an example a superintelligent AI that is given the simple task of making as many paperclips as possible. Undergoing an “intelligence explosion” during which it improves upon itself with the goal of maximising its production, the AI decides to convert all of the atoms in the solar system into paperclips.

Yudkowsky’s chilling message is that “The AI does not hate you, nor does it love you, but you are made out of atoms which it can use for something else.”

This example is obviously extreme, but it illustrates a fundamental issue at the heart of using AI. Photo: Pixabay Given

a smart enough machine, if its goals are even slightly misaligned with the goals of humanity the result could be catastrophic. An example closer to home might be an AI that, completely unintentionally, develops a racial bias. This is not so far from reality, as Microsoft’s Twitter chatbot Tay demonstrated when it began tweeting racial slurs and hate speech it had picked up from conversations with trolls, before being quickly shut down. An AI that screened job applications accidentally acquiring a taste for racial profiling could be disastrous. Some controversy arose over the ethics of self-driving cars, around the issue of who takes responsibility for an accident, and in what kind of order the AI should prioritise damages that could arise from its actions.

These moral questions come up wherever the AI goes beyond what its makers might innocently but naively expect it to do.

Who will control the AIs as they arrive has been yet another subject of debate. A powerful algorithm has the potential to do a lot of good, but in the wrong hands can be used to inflict great harm.

The regulation of AIs and the prevention of their use by malicious actors or rogue states has been discussed by some high ranking politicians, such as the outgoing President Obama when he spoke to Wired magazine.

Among his concerns for the future were specialised algorithms that might be given the task of penetrating a country’s nuclear codes, or perhaps more simply maximising profits on the stock exchange. He noted that “if one person or one organisation got there first, they could bring down the stock market pretty quickly.”

Hopefully the new leadership will heed these warnings. There are fears that artificial intelligence might become an enabler for the preservation of oppressive power structures in the future, if their benefits are not shared evenly.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk, supporter of the non-profit company OpenAI which aims to build a platform for safe and constructive AI development, has repeatedly called for more regulation of AIs, advocating that they be democratised and open-source, calling them our “greatest existential threat.”

In a world where private companies are allowed to pursue AI projects almost entirely unregulated, in the midst of a wave of political rhetoric based around bringing back jobs that soon might not even exist, in the face of imposing moral dilemmas, and on the brink of what might be one of the fastest and most influential transitions in human history, it’s easy to envision that we are sleepwalking into some form of dystopian nightmare.

But this is ignoring the tremendous benefits that AI will bring to mankind, and provided that decision makers can pull together and start finding solutions to the problems that will come with the progress, the AIassisted future may yet be bright.

ARTS & CULTURE

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2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

OVERLOOKED AND UNDERRATED

The award season nominees you have to watch

Lobster (2015) has been nominated for Best Original Screenplay

LAUREN MCGOWAN Film editor

E

very award season has its underdogs, this year more than usual given that every other nominated film is quaking behind La La Land.

Unrewarded does not mean unrecognised, but there are always nominees that remain unappreciated; despite their nominations (and occasionally their wins) they have failed to reach a wide audience.

A limited release can mean that even when a nomination generates interest, actually watching the film can be difficult. This has been the fate of a number of this year’s Oscar nominees, particularly 20th Century Women and Loving which were screened across the country but sporadically and often without the benefit of prime time viewings.

20th Century Women is a nostalgic but authentic glimpse into 1970s Southern California, and a boarding house that holds an odd assortment of women, amongst them Julie (Elle Fanning) and Abbey (Greta Gerwig) who become the particular favourites of the woman of the house Dorothea (Annette Bening) and her son. The film and the 70s culture which imbues it with its own unique charm are stunning without ever distracting from the irresistible performances of the film’s leading ladies. Bening in particular is dazzlingly witty and dryly humorous, and grounds the film which might otherwise get lost without a conventional plot. Her Golden Globe nomination was disappointingly unfulfilled and the film’s Oscar nomination (for Original Screenplay) was surprising only because the film was recognised in no other categories. It’s lack of recognition in no way translates to the quality of the film though, and it is one of the rare films that is able to feel uniquely uplifting without losing touch of reality or its rambling passivity.

Loving on the other hand is much more obviously a story of hope, although that in no way means that it has a straightforward arc or narrative.

Richard Loving (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred Loving (Ruth Negga) play a couple who are forced to fight against

the laws criminalising interracial marriage in 1967 Virginia. Their case is taken to the Supreme Court at the height of the Civil Rights movement, with the film stressing the tension and anxieties of everyday life as a family whose very existence is forbidden.

The subtlety of Negga’s performance is what gives it its weight and depth and poignancy, and she sets the tone for a film which garners its power from the individuals amidst the history and the intimacy of the portrait of the family. Her Oscar and Golden Globe nominations are unanimously applauded and Edgerton’s Golden Globe nomination equally celebrated.

Perhaps the most bizarre Oscar nominee, The Lobster, was nominated for Best Original Screenplay as well as being recognised in a number of categories by Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globe awards, and the BAFTAs. The film is set in a dystopian world where relationships are mandatory and newly single people are turned into the animal of their choice if they fail to find a similar partner within 45 days. An obvious satire on social norms and constructs, Lobster is strange enough to pique interest and certainly won’t bore you even if it is a little violent and intense to comfortably entertain you. The film gets even weirder as it progresses but eventually concludes with a happy, if incredibly disturbing, ending which elevates the ambition of the entire film.

Not quite so bizarre but similarly unsettling is Captain Fantastic. The story follows a family’s return to society after the death of their mother brings an end to their extended period of isolation in the wilderness. For his role as the family patriarch Viggo Mortensen received nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards and the equivalent at the BAFTA’s, Golden Globes, and the SAG awards which also nominated the film for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. The film has received mixed reviews, with particular criticisms for feeling slightly contrived at times, but the film’s unexpected twists and turns and its ability to juggle a range of social issues is one of its strengths.

Held together by Mortensen’s multi-faceted and sensitive performance,

the film might not appeal to everyone but Mortensen will certainly draw you in I, Daniel Blake has won some of the most prestigious awards the season has to offer including the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, the Prix du public at the 2016 Locarno International Film Festival, and the 2017 BAFTA for Best British Film. But how many of us have actually seen the film? It focuses on the failings of the welfare state and the dehumani-

The underdogs of awards season more than deserve the effort it requires to seek them out sation of the claimants who rely upon it. The film is provocative and has received mixed responses regarding the portrayal of welfare administrators, but the human struggle at the centre of it is an undeniably and unfortunately realistic representation.

My Life as A Zucchini was nominated for Best Animation at the Oscars, but remains relatively unknown, particularly in comparison with Disney’s nominees Moana and Zootropolis.

Zucchini is the story of a young boy who is accidentally responsible for the death of his mother and is taken to an orphanage where he meets an assortment of other children who all come from equally unsettling and disturbing backgrounds. He falls in love with fellow orphan Camille, and together with their friend Simon they are able to find a happy ending in spite of their very unhappy beginnings. The film has been nominated in a variety of categories at lesser known awards

shows, including nominations for its script and soundtrack which work together to create a vibrant and sensitive presentation of the innate strength and ingenuity of children.

It is not only individual nominees that go underappreciated, but whole categories which are often overlooked and fail to reach wide audiences for a variety of reasons. Oscar nominees for Best Documentary (both Feature and Short film) frequently only reach audiences who already have a particular interest in the documentary’s subject or stance.

This need not be the case for Life, Animated, the story of a young autistic boy who learns to understand and communicate with the world around him through his love of Disney films.

Rather than being self-consciously about film, the documentary is rather an insight into the role art plays in bringing people together and creating shared experiences which illuminate our own.

Similarly, nominees for Short Film (Animated and Live Action) and remain difficult for a mainstream audience to access despite the ease of their consumption. But if you can watch Pearl you should. The soundtrack driven story of a father and daughter on a cross country trip is the first virtual reality film to be nominated for an Oscar, but the novelty of the filming in no way overwhelms the hope and warmth of the story.

The difficulty in finding a screening of the nominees for Foreign

Language Film is in a part a response to audience laziness and the undesirability of reading subtitles. Tanna, however is more than worth the required effort if the numerous film festivals (including Venice, BFI London, and Adelaide) which have recognised it are to be believed. The Romeo-andJuliet-esque love story set in the South Pacific Tanna island is true to the story shared and created by the tribe members it films, delivering a beautiful blend of fairytale and realism.

At times unaware of them, or restricted by the difficulty of finding screenings of them, the underdogs of awards season more than deserve the effort it requires to seek them out and their audiences are well rewarded. You might have to wait until postawards season to watch the films after they have been made available to stream or buy, but they are more than worth the wait.

They offer unique and unexpected experiences, and tell stories which are able to resonate more profoundly with individuals as opposed to being made for mass appeal.

And they have the added benefit of not being spoiled by over eager marketing campaigns and overplayed trailers which influence the audience’s expectations and attention before the opening credits have even begun. Their lack of visibility is in no way a reflection of their quality, and they might be a little kooky, but that is half their charm and only adds to their intrigue.

Loving, one of this season’s underrated films

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Sport editor: ANDREW SINCLAIR Deputy editors: Jack Cannon, Seoras Lyall, Henry Mallin, Jason Segall sport@thesaint-online.com

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First paragraphs are like this. They have a 4mm indent in the first line.

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Part of the problem is a lack of venues available to encourage big crowds to watch their teams. This being said, I feel there is a lot more that our University and others up and down the country could do to promote the live sport on offer. Most of it is of a high standard involving people you are likely to know, and there is a real sense of pride associated with supporting your school. If thousands are prepared to go down to Murrayfield to watch the varsity match, I would hope there would be enough people to fill the 400-seat bleachers in the Sports Centre when basketball, netball, or volleyball games are featured.

Therefore, in my humble opinion, it’s the least I can do to promote the efforts and achievements of the various teams that competed in Sheffield almost two weeks ago.

Before I talk about the events that took place, it is important to recognise that the Nationals are a good showcase for some of the University’s smaller clubs, which do not get the opportunity to compete regularly within the BUCS system.

One of the standout achievements of the weekend was that of the St Andrews ultimate frisbee team, which overcame a difficult group to win a historic first national indoor title. Groups consisted of 2016 finalists Manchester and local rivals Dundee, but a last-gasp win over Manchester allowed the Saints to progress, although a defeat to Sussex meant a more difficult route through the last 16.

The first victim was Liverpool before a tough quarter-final against a

O

Photo: Duke’s Course

Write from the off Andrew’s column

Andrew Sinclair determined University of Portsmouth team. St Andrews was victorious, however, and beat Dundee to set up a rematch in the final against Sussex.

However, St Andrews was not to be denied this time and won 7-4 to take the national crown.

Another first for Saints Sport involved the judo team. Kate Saunders won the clubs’s first ever gold medal and did so in emphatic style, securing an ippon in just over eight seconds.

There was also a bronze medal in the men’s competitions for Francis Millward.

St Andrews also managed to win medals in the trampolining competition.

That in itself was a surprise to me and probably many of you. Gymnastics does not receive a spotlight at this University, but the team’s performances at Nationals showed talent is there.

Perhaps a little more investment could help the team move on to even greater heights.

Matthew Nutter’s performance was the highlight. He took the silver medal in the men’s BUCS 4 competition, whilst the St Andrews contingent also returned to northeast Fife with a bronze after an impressive performance in the BUCS 3 Synchro. Equally impressive for the club was that over a third of members made the finals in their respective categories.

A big mention must also go to the men’s Golf Club third team, which recently secured promotion to the Scottish 2A division. The Saints played a perfect campaign, winning all five of their games and securing promotion in the best way by downing closest rivals Abertay 6-2. This gave them an unassailable lead at the top of the table, even if Abertay beat Dundee in its final game of the season. This impressive result for the Saints threes marked a big improvement on previous seasons, where their results had read second (2012), seventh (2013), second (2014), third (2015), and then second again last year.

This promotion now means that the team will be playing alongside the St Andrews seconds next season: there will be increased competition amongst the club’s players, which can only be good for the future of sport at the University.

However, the team’s success is hardly likely to be the last that St Andrews produces in the remainder of the BUCS season, and it will be my pleasure to continue reporting these achievements to you.

Student golf tuition returns for third consecutive year SIMON BALDWIN Duke’s Course, the Old Course Hotel’s heathland, started offering student golf tuition alongside the University of St Andrews Men’s Golf Club three years ago. Due to the popularity of the initiative, it is now back for a third year in a row and open to both male and female students.

St Andrews is a breeding ground for new golfers.

It is almost guaranteed that every student here has been asked about playing the sport at some point in their university career; some students decided to participate because they got the “bug” to play golf but didn’t know too much about it, and others wanted to improve on their already solid golfing foundation. Golf is an every-person sport, so the programme has picked up much interest.

Ayden Roberts-Jones, professional golfer at the Duke’s, manages the programme.

He explained, “Working with the Men’s Club has been brilliant. Being able to create such a social aspect around golf is something the Duke’s is always trying to encourage, and we think that’s why the tuition works so well. Not everybody wants to play at a professional level and there’s no denying the enjoyment factor associated with playing golf in St Andrews.”

Indeed, one of the best aspects about the club is that sessions are dedicated to both beginners and more advanced players looking to improve their skills.

For beginners, the opening session focuses on the foundations of the swing and key fundamentals.

These fundamentals cover everything from tee shots and the perfect swing to chips, putts, and everything in

between.

Groups adapt to the fundamentals quickly, enabling ample time to experience the playing environment.

However, even if you don’t pick the game up too quickly, the excellent coaching staff on hand will walk you through skills and focus on every individual within the group, something that other golf programmes in St Andrews do not offer.

It is almost guaranteed that every student in St Andrews has been asked about playing The Duke’s offers practice holes on-site, which is a huge benefit for both golfers and coaches, as building confidence is a large part of the learning process. Once golfers have adjusted to the practice holes, they move onto the course. This part of the tuition builds up slowly at around threeto-four holes at a time.

“This is where the fun begins,” Roberts-Jones said. “It’s like taking the stabilisers off of your bike. The golfers start to see their hard work paying off.

They build their confidence and with the help of us, the University Men’s Golf Club and the fantastic student links ticket cost, playing and being involved couldn’t be easier.”

One of the programme’s fundamental aims is that once you have completed the course of lessons, you will be more than capable of going out on any of St Andrews’ numerous golf courses.

This will not only prepare you for the relatively straightforward nine holes down at the Balgove, but for the big 18-hole courses that the town is so famous for: namely the Old Course, the New Course, the Castle, the Jubilee, the Eden and the Strathtyrum.

This in itself opens numerous door for social activities during your time at university and means that golf can provide an outlet for any stresses or worries you may have.

New sessions start each week. The Duke’s has perfected the formula and structure of the sessions and is now rolling out four and six-week courses to accommodate anybody who wants to learn and improve.

The Duke’s has now seen a number of students begin their third year of coaching at an advanced level, and they are keen to continue in this strong tradition.

As much as it may sound like a tired trope, golf really is a pasttime that can stay with you for a lifetime.

Giving it a go is as good a time as any, especially whilst your mind is fresh and receptive to new information. It would be a shame for any student to leave this University and then think “I really should have given golf a go whilst I was there.” Therefore, make the most of this opportunity.

For more information, please email dukes@oldcoursehotel.co.uk.

SPORT

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

Saints lose first game of the season in close cup contest with Sheffield Hallam

SEORAS LYALL Deputy sport editor On Wednesday 22 February, the St Andrews women’s volleyball team faced off against Sheffield Hallam University in the quarter-finals of the BUCS trophy.

St Andrews came into the game on the back of some excellent form. In the Scottish 1A league, the team is top of the table after only dropping two sets in eight games. In the cup, St Andrews defeated Nottingham seconds away 3-0 and Liverpool firsts at home by the same score line. By contrast, their opponents for the evening had lost two games in the Northern 1A League but were also yet to drop a set in the cup after defeating Strathclyde firsts and Northumbria seconds in the previous round.

The first set was a clear indicator of the confidence of the two teams. The Saints were buoyed on by the strength of the home support and excellent communication amongst the players.

Consistent serves also helped.

After a long rally, St Andrews

managed to level the scores to 12-12, but Sheffield took control from that point on. The Saints fell behind by six points before a timeout was called.

Another one was called at 19-24, yet it was not enough to stop a stunning point by Sheffield to win the first set 19-25.

In the next set, the Saints maintained a high intensity but fell behind to an early Sheffield lead. However, they managed to pull it back to 6-6, forcing a timeout by Sheffield.

However, St Andrews yet again came out on the worse side of the interval, falling behind 10-16 before calling a timeout of their own.

Regardless, Sheffield continued to impress, with the spikes of number six particularly threatening. At 1423, the Saints called another timeout, but it wasn’t enough to prevent them from losing the second set 18-25.

In many respects, the third set was a replica of the one before. Sheffield took another early lead, but spirits never dropped and the Saints yet again turned it around to level at 7-7, forcing their opponents to call a timeout.

Photos: India Basagni

38

Despite St Andrews’ best efforts, errors started to creep into the game, and the team found itself 8-14 down.

Nonetheless, the Saints rallied and reduced the deficit to one at 15-16. The pattern of the match was now fully established, however, with a Sheffield timeout resulting in the team falling behind 16-21.

Although St Andrews won a huge rally to bring the scores back to 18-23, they eventually lost the set, and hence the match, two points later.

The game ended 3-0 to Sheffield; however, the result reflected poorly on the Saints’ performance. Players matched their opponents in every set and will ultimately feel that on another day the result may have been different.

Despite their exit from the cup, St Andrews’ season is not quite over.

The team still has two games in the league, both away against Glasgow Caledonian and Aberdeen.

Whilst their position at the top of the table is unassailable, the Saints will be looking to end the year unbeaten as they move back up a division to Premier North for next season.

Joe Root and the fine art of cricketing leadership ANDREW WILLIAMS

Leaders are not one and the same.

They are not uniform. Whether within or outside of sport, you will rarely find leaders who are carbon copies of one another. From the combative Martin Keown to the innovative Bill Gates and the disarmingly respectable Alistair Cook, it is very difficult to categorically define a leader.

This means one often doesn’t know where the next great leader will emerge, so finding a successor for leadership can be something of a calculated gamble. Inferences and investigations can be a good idea, but definitive answers may still be lacking.

Thus, when the recently appointed England captain Joe Root was described by Yorkshire’s director of cricket as a “born leader,” it was not unreasonable to raise a few eyebrows.

That Martyn Moxon went on to proclaim that he is “sure he will do a good job” is brave to say the least. The most talented are not always the best leaders.

However, the claim hasn’t simply been plucked out of thin air. As director of cricket at Yorkshire, Moxon has had a more intimate vantage point than most. He points out that even as a youngster, Root would spend hours studying the game and different tactics to prepare himself for the eventuality of being captain.

His captaincy experience has been

limited, but as Geoffrey Boycott pointed out, every time he has taken a step up, “he’s handled it. If not straight away, then he’s quickly got it because he’s got an acute cricket brain.”

This is an important attribute; Root may not have shown the ability to be captain in his career up to this point (he’s captained four times with only varying degrees of success), but he’s shown an ability to grow.

When faced with different challenges, whether batting anywhere in the top five or in unfamiliar climates such as the sub-continent, he has worked hard to overcome these

The most talented are not always the best leaders challenges.

The “cricket brain” to which Boycott alluded is significant. Root is not just a likeable character and a good batsman. He fundamentally understands the intricacies and nuances of a cricket match and therefore is best placed to make decisions that can change the outcome of matches.

it.

If you want to be blunt, he just gets

Although the debate about the quality of his captaincy has been fairly one-sided, what we can expect in terms of style is still uncertain. It is often said that a player’s original captaincy style mirrors that of his own game.

Alistair Cook initially was very conservative and took much encouragement to embrace a more attacking mindset in the field. Brendon McCullum created a New Zealand side in his own image: dynamic, risk-taking entertainers. If this is to be the same for Root, then we should expect an energetic and truly vibrant style of captaincy. If he leads in the same way he has conducted himself as batsman, then frequent and quirky field-changes shouldn’t be unexpected.

His rhetoric, however, has not given much away. Apart from insisting that he would like to put his own stamp on the job, the only insight from the captain himself has been an admission that he’d like “to be instinctive.” He wants his team “to look to win and be a tough side to play against.” Not exactly a Sherlock Holmes-esque insight there.

We are not totally in the dark.

Root’s newly appointed vice-captain Ben Stokes was effusive in his desire for the Root-Stokes leadership axis to provide the viewing public with a brand of cricket everyone can love.

The all-rounder has suggested that results are not enough. In order to halt and reverse the downward trajectory that is currently defining national interest in the test team, exciting cricket has to be played. He has gone further

52.8 Joe Root’s current England test batting average than Root to explain that “we need to win but we want to perform in a manner that makes people want to come and watch us. Test cricket is the pinnacle and we need people to fall in love with it again.”

It would therefore come as a surprise if England under Root didn’t carry on trying to play the more fluid and attacking style of cricket that coach Trevor Bayliss uses. Maturity levels will have to increase, though.

England is often left looking like a naive younger brother who hasn’t quite ascertained when he can get away with being mischievous. There are times when sensible, restrained con-

solidation is the order of the day.

It has already been mentioned that selecting a new captain is a gamble.

However, this is a gamble not without precedent in world cricket. With the appointment of Root, the four leading test batsmen in the world, according to both popular opinion and the world rankings, are now captains of their respective nations.

Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson have all taken up the mantle of captain for India, Australia, and New Zealand respectively. All in their mid-20s, each has improved in batting since accepting the responsibility. With Kohli’s average rocketing up by almost 27 runs (up to 68) since becoming captain and Smith’s by 21 runs (up to 72), the hope is that Root’s 52.8 can also be a site of great improvement.

Having already played 53 tests, Root is not a newcomer, and aged only 26, time is on his side. When there are advocates such as ex-England captain Michael Vaughan coming out and labelling him “ready-made for the England captaincy,” then it is obvious that support is not lacking.

A note of caution, however: just as good leaders come in all shapes and sizes, seemingly good leaders can equally turn out to be less successful. This column is definitely hoping and believing the former, but this wouldn’t be the first time that a “chosen one” has not lived up to expectations.

Despite everything, the magic of the FA Cup lives on In recent years, the FA Cup, football’s oldest cup competition, has lost some of its zest. The top English clubs do not hold it in as high regard as they once did: just last year, Louis Van Gaal was sacked by Manchester United only two days after he won the competition. Top teams often play weakened sides and see cup-ties as a burden on the already turbulent fixture list. Yet there is something about the FA Cup that ensures its longevity.

Stories such as that of Lincoln City, which recently overcame Premier League side Burnley, are what keep the competition alive and kicking.

Thanks to a last minute Sean Raggett header, Lincoln became the first non-league club to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals since Queens Park Rangers achieved the feat in 1914. The team’s 1-0 victory at Burnley’s Turf Moor ground, which had been somewhat of a fortress this season, earned it the privilege to travel to North London and face Arsenal, which got the better of a valiant Sutton United and returned a sense of normality to the round’s fixtures. Whilst this win was the pinnacle of the Imps’ run so far, their victories over league sides Oldham, Ipswich, and Championship promotion hopefuls Brighton and Hove Albion are also worthy of incredible praise.

Speaking to the BBC, Lincoln City manager Danny Cowley described his side’s victory over Burnley as “a football miracle.” Sutton United, which hosted Arsenal two days after Lincoln City’s triumph, could not replicate the team’s achievement and fell bravely to the Gunners 2-0.

United’s efforts have been somewhat overshadowed by the actions of substitute goalkeeper Wayne Shaw.

Shaw was spotted by the television cameras eating a pie during the 82nd minute: a seemingly innocent, if slightly unprofessional act. However, it later emerged that a bookmaker had offered 8/1 odds on Shaw being caught eating a pie on camera.

Suspecting foul play, the Gambling Commission and Football Association

launched an investigation to determine whether there was a violation of betting regulations. Shaw has subsequently resigned from his position at Sutton United.

It seems that Shaw did not act maliciously but rather has been caught out of his depth by the rigorous scrutiny high-profile matches like these can bring. Much of the football community feels a great sense of pity for Shaw, with Gary Lineker tweeting, “Day by day football is losing its heart and its sense of humour. #piegate.”

Likewise, there was uproar amongst some fans who were particularly critical of Sutton’s decision to take one-off sponsorship for the game from The Sun. The paper’s actions regarding the Hillsborough disaster are despicable and have led Liverpool to ban journalists from Anfield. Whilst no one would deny Sutton its moment in the sun (pardon the pun), taking on the sponsorship was perceived as “selling out” by some fans and therefore reduced some neutral support they may have accrued in the passage to the quarter-finals.

Nevertheless, in years to come, Sutton United’s efforts in this year’s FA Cup will not be remembered for these incidents, but rather for a great victory over Leeds and proud display against Arsenal.

Lincoln City’s FA Cup is still not over. Who knows what could happen when they play Arsenal on 11 March?

The game is set to be a grand occasion and the most famous day in the club’s history no matter the result.

The other quarterfinals will see Tottenham hosting Millwall; Manchester United travelling to Chelsea; and Middlesbrough battling either Manchester City or Huddersfield Town (their replay takes place after The Saint has gone to print).

The FA Cup is the one of the few competitions that can conjure up stories like Lincoln City’s. Although the glitz and glamour of modern-day football is to be found in European ties, the FA Cup is a down-to-earth and “real” competition.

Anyone can beat anyone, and on 11 March the eyes of the nation will be on Lincoln City in its bid for glory.

Photo: Flickr

JACK CANNON Deputy sport editor

SPORT

39

Artifical intelligence in sport HENRY MALLIN Deputy sport editor Artificial intelligence (AI) in any field is always a contentious topic. Even the name artificial intelligence sparks fears of a dystopia styled like Ex Machina or I, Robot. However, in the case of sport, there is strong argument to suggest that an increasing dependence on AI can only be a good thing.

Firstly, I want to take you back in time. The scene is 27 June 2010.

Matthew Upson has given England a lifeline in its Round of 16 World Cup match against Germany at the Bloemfontein Stadium. The ball then drops to Frank Lampard, who effortlessly lobs Manuel Neuer with a sublime finish that had essences of Geoff Hurst’s World Cup-winning goal.

Fabio Capello leads the celebrations from the dugout, and England is back in the tie.

But wait. Jorge Larrionda has waved play on and the goal has not

There is a strong argument to suggest that an increasing dependence on AI can only be a good thing been counted. Jeers ring around the stadium, and England fans are in disbelief.

Seven years later, this moment still haunts me. Video evidence clearly showed that Lampard’s shot had crossed the line –– the goal should have stood. The decision changed the game, and England’s years of hurt continued as a result of human error.

This is not the first time such a mistake has happened in football. Famous examples such as Maradona’s hand of

God, Luis Garcia’s ghost goal, and Henry handing the ball into the goal in a decisive game in the World Cup qualifiers all live on in the memories of football fans.

In the aftermath of the 2010 World Cup, Sepp Blatter, FIFA president at the time, issued a public apology and stated that technological means would have to be reconsidered as viable tools to aid referees. The result is that goal line-technology has been put in place for major international fixtures and introduced in the Premier League.

Football is far from the only sport moving in this technological direction. It is now a rarity that a try in rugby is scored without the referee going to the third official for confirmation. Whilst this can slow the game down fractionally, the result is greater accuracy in the decisions of the officials, a result that benefits all. Similar technologies have been introduced in many sports; tennis uses the hawk eye system, and cricket umpires have a third umpire.

But can we take this further? Are we getting to the point in which we could and should remove human error from sporting officiation and move towards referees with artificial intelligence?

My mind immediately thinks about the game FIFA, something that happens far too much in my daily life, but on this occasion I feel it’s useful.

I have distinct memories of playing luscious through balls, splitting the defence, and leaving a one-on-one opportunity with the opposition’s keeper just to find out that I had drifted into an offside position. Anger erupts inside of me, and I shout at the TV for making such a terrible decision before being subdued by the clear evidence of my player being half a yard offside.

As always, the game proves correct, and I quickly accept my mistake.

Whilst I know video games are not reflections of real-life situations, there certainly are parallels that can be made. Using an AI referee, similar in style to that of a referee on a FIFA game, would remove human error from referee’s decision making; furthermore, we could stop episodes such as Lampard’s disallowed goal.

Human referees are subjected to

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

2 March 2017 • thesaint-online.com

an onslaught of abuse from fans and players alike. An artificially intelligent referee who is immune to human error would be a more adequate solution to this problem.

The counter-argument is that we

Are we getting to the point in which we could and should remove human error from sporting officiation? require human referees to provide a better interpretation of the rules in certain situations. This logic is weak, and at best it fails to effectively counterbalance the criticism of human error in referee’s decisions.

On a slightly separate note, artificial intelligence has proven an immensely powerful tool in improving sporting performance. The use of it in elite sport has become almost universal. This ranges from reviewing player performance to assessing opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. Artificial intelligence differs from statistics.

Statistics in their simplest form do not capture the complexity of sport.

Artificial intelligence uses algorithms that can make sense of random patterns in data sets to provide meaningful outcomes. Bayern Munich has an official partnership with SAP, the German software giant, for detailed post-match analysis highlighting the increasing impact of AI and the reliance teams have on it.

With this new analysis of data sets, artificial intelligence is set to provide a vital role in the development of sport, and the increasing trend can only mean positive things for the future.

SPORT

Saints narrowly beaten in BUCS trophy volleyball quarter-final Page 38 @saint_sport

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VARSITY REMATCH ANDREW SINCLAIR Sport editor

S

t Andrews may have comfortably won the historic varsity game at the start of the season, but Edinburgh got the better of the team last Wednesday in the BUCS trophy quarter-final, running out 22-18 winners.

There was a palpable sense of excitement amongst the crowd at University Park, with fans of both sides knowing that a solid 80 minutes would set them up for a semi-final meeting against the University of Reading. Adding to this was the fact that St Andrews and Edinburgh form the oldest rivalry in British student sport, and there were some definite local bragging rights at stake.

St Andrews may have opened proceedings, kicking from left to right, but it was the away side that registered the game’s opening points. A fairly routine penalty put the team in the lead, but that lead was to last just four minutes, with Toby Hall taking advantage of a quick penalty to score the game’s opening try. Scott Docherty added the conversion to put St Andrews 7-3 up.

Edinburgh added another penalty just after the 20-minute mark to

reduce the deficit to one, but again St Andrews refused to allow Edinburgh any momentum and scored their second try with 25 minutes on the clock.

A mazy run from Roland Walker created a dogleg in the Edinburgh defence that Rob Lind, who later lost his shirt in a tackle, was able to exploit in the right-hand corner. Docherty was unlucky to miss the conversion, but St Andrews now led 12-6.

Whilst the balance of play was reflected in the scoreline thus far, some questionable penalty decisions by the referee and an upturn in Edinburgh’s performance meant that the away side went into the break with the lead after scoring two tries of its own.

Both tries came as a result of driving mauls from lineouts, something that must have come as a blow to the Saints, who were incredibly dominant at set-pieces throughout the game. On both occasions the Edinburgh fly-half was unable to maximise either score, dragging both conversions short. That meant that at the break, St Andrews only trailed Edinburgh by four.

Two penalties from Scott Dochery put St Andrews back into the lead early in the second half, but Edinburgh replied with one of its own. The score stood at 19-18, the capital side ahead with half an hour remaining.

The physical intensity of the game was something to behold, and as much as the fans tried to urge their respective teams on, defence continually cancelled out attack.

Handling errors began to creep in for both sides as tiredness became a factor. That said, another infraction by the Saints at the ruck meant that Edinburgh had the chance to extend its lead back out to four points with a penalty 10 minutes from time. The team’s fly-half showed considerably more composure than he had previously to slot the kick over the bar and make it 22-18.

Whilst that was how the game would finish, St Andrews did have chances to potentially cause an upset and move on to what would have been an historic semi-final.

With eight minutes to go, the Saints had a penalty just outside the Edinburgh 22. The relatively easy kick at goal would have put them just one behind with one more chance to score the match winning points. Docherty opted for the corner, making a decision that cannot be easily criticised.

Indeed, whilst hindsight perhaps suggests he should have gone for the points and hoped another chance arose in the final few minutes, St Andrews had been so dominant in

the lineouts and had had real success running from deep (the contributions of Toby Hall, Roland Walker, Scott MacGregor and Killian Faith-Kelly particularly stand out) that opting for the corner was a sound strategy.

This strategy did not pay off, and neither did the Saints’s final push for the line, which ended with the ball being held up and the referee blowing for full-time. Whilst some unsavoury scenes followed that neither team will be particularly proud of in retrospect, both played their part in an enthralling game of rugby that certainly kept temperatures warm in cold conditions.

Much as it has been all season, Edinburgh was clinical when it counted and now moves on to a semi-final with Reading and potentially exciting all-Scottish final against Glasgow, who beat Leicester 19-15 in one of the day’s earlier quarter-finals.

The fact that there were three Scottish university teams in the quarter-finals of the national competition is incredibly exciting and shows that the future of Scottish rugby is in good hands. As the old saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats.”

If more Scottish teams are playing well and being able to compete UK-wide, then that will increase

Photos: Harry Gunning

SAINTS LOSE

the standard of competition in the Scottish BUCS leagues and mean that for promoted sides, the step up to Premier North is not as great.

This defeat ended St Andrews’ cup ambitions for this season, but the team can look back on its performance with immense pride. The players embodied everything that this University is about and continued to show immense progress under the tutelage of Director of Rugby David Ross.

The fixture was also the team’s last home game of the season, with the remaining two league games being away fixtures against Edinburgh and Manchester. There is, however, still something to play for in both fixtures.

A victory in either could see St Andrews take second place in the table behind Edinburgh, whilst a potential league triumph is still mathematically possible if the team wins both fixtures and earns winning bonus points in doing so. To even be in the title race is incredibly impressive, especially when you consider the struggles the team went through last season.

The St Andrews players’ performances throughout the season have shown how good student sport can really be, and they have raised the benchmark for other clubs.