Leicester Edition December 2016 by The University Paper

FR EE

THE ONLY STUDENT NEWSPAPER WORTH READING DELIVERED TO YOUR CAMPUS FREE! GRATIS! NOTHING!

LEICESTER EDITION

P24

December 2016

INTERVIEW

Daydreamer Fine art student’s photography is award winning Full story Page 3

P16

DEBORAH MEADEN Tells us how to get that job

P23

KATE TEMPEST On the plight of students

Sports teams caught up in clash between DMU and club @ AMY DENMAN

P31

SPORT Take a shot at FA Cup glory

Students were attacked by angry protesters on their way to football training, university bosses claim. De Montfort University football players were allegedly attacked by activists who were protesting the use of Beaumont Park FC by the uni. Tyler Kent, a member of DMU women’s football, said: ‘We were

trying to get into the training park when I was dragged to the other side of the road and knocked to the ﬂoor. ‘As a result, I’ve got bruising on my knee and arm. Some adults were using children to obstruct my way and using threats that they would contact social services if I touched them. It was threatening and scary.’ DMU security guard Morgan Lloyd said he ‘felt a blow to my kidney’ as he

I was dragged to the side of the road

Tyler Kent, DMU women’s football club

tried to hold the protesters back. But a mum told the football club the protest was ‘entirely peaceful’ and parents ‘made a tunnel’ to let university players pass. Following the incident on November 14, DMU closed the club grounds until further notice, as it was ‘unable to guarantee the health and safety of users’. This angered some parents, who have since held another protest.

Leicestershire Police said: ‘We were in attendance at a protest at Beaumont Park. A subsequent allegation of assault was made to us. No arrests have been made.’ Parents of children who play at Beaumont Park were protesting the university’s alleged behaviour after it invested £2.3million into the club in exchange for shared use of its facilites. Continued on Page 3

News

www.unipaper.co.uk | t @TheUniPaper | f TheUniPaper | 020 7580 6419

December 2016

IN BRIEF

Club colours DMU radio to Volunteers host awards recognised ‘removed’ « Continued from Page 1 Some parents have labelled the agreement a ‘dictatorship’, claiming the clubhouse has been redecorated in DMU colours, training sessions have been moved to inconvenient times and photos and trophies have been taken down. The club said in a statement that it had been told by DMU trophies were only removed temporarily, for redecoration. DMU asked the club’s parents and supporters to email any ideas to sports.enquiries@dmu.ac.uk. PICTURE: TIFFANY TAGEN

It was quite a surprise to have won

Tiffany Tagen, DMU

come from everywhere, relating to the same sort of problems. ‘These current photos are about the daydreams people have everyday when they look straight through you, even though they look like they’re looking straight at

you. It’s about invisibility and the daydream that inspired me to take the photos.’ The photography project, which uses a distinctive paintbrush effect, took about three months to ﬁnish and each photo needed about ten hours of editing. When Tiffany entered her work into the Leicester Society Of Artists Student Award 2016, she didn’t expect to be named joint winner. ‘I entered it on a whim and didn’t think anything of it,’ she said. ‘It was quite a surprise to have won.’ Her prize was £500 and the chance to have her work exhibited at Leicester’s New Walk Museum.

Daydreamer: One of Tiffany’s award-winning pictures

PICTURE: NARITA SAVOO

Most of us know the feeling: You’re on the bus on a Monday morning, remembering Saturday night’s takeaway fondly when you realise you’re staring at another passenger. This trance-like state is what inspired these award-winning photographs by De Montfort University student Tiffany Tagen. She wanted to capture her subjects daydreaming, as she has always had a keen interest in universal experiences, which bring everyone together. The ﬁne art masters student said:

‘I’m from quite a poor background in Lincoln and I’ve always been really interested in people and the similarities they share from different backgrounds, so I take photos of everyday people that I ﬁnd, who

Cancer charity Macmillan has awarded volunteers from DMU for their work. The charity gave nine current De Montfort students and two graduates gold, silver and platinum awards for helping people affected by cancer. The volunteers are part of #DMULocal, which is run by DMU, Leicester City Council and other organisations, and aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged locals by focussing on education, health and regeneration.

Knickers spotted

Art postgrad’s surprise to find award win not just a daydream @ Amy Denman

Big names in radio and budding DJs will flock to DMU in April for the annual Student Radio Association conference and awards. Nick Grimshaw and Greg James were among speakers at last year’s conference and De Montfort’s station, DemonFM, will host this year’s glittering event after bidding against other venues. Hannah Rowe, station manager and third-year politics student, said: ‘I’m an odd mixture of ecstatic and relieved, as we’ve been putting work into this bid since June.’

@ Amy Denman Fashion brand ASOS will feature lingerie designed by a De Montfort University graduate in its 2017 spring/ summer collection. The online fashion brand awarded graduate Elissa Grainger a £50,000 investment and mentoring from industry experts, after her brand, Elissa Poppy, was noticed at the ASOS Fashion Discovery competition.

Pricey panties: Elissa’s knickers and bra will set you back £225 Elissa said: ‘Finding out I had won was amazing. I was so emotional and just so happy. To have the support of ASOS is incredible, as well as all the other judges that were involved. ‘It’s really given me the confidence to push forward and achieve the goals that I have.’ Contour fashion graduate Elissa’s underwear is being stocked by luxury labels from across the globe and has been featured in fashion magazine

Vogue. However, the 22-year-old has even bigger dreams and wants to see her designs worn by Beyoncé and Rihanna. ‘They have such a presence and great style,’ she said. ‘To see them in Elissa Poppy would be a dream come true.’ Elissa also won the Young Designer Award at the St Andrews Fashion show, known as the event where Prince William first noticed Kate Middleton.

News

Campaign aims to stop cheaters handing in their paid-for essays Researchers say number of students getting 'essay mills' to do their work in return for cash has shot up Boss of one company selling customwritten work online claims not enough help is on offer at unis

@ Henry Edwards and Patrick Hollis

Type ‘essay help’ into Google and pages of websites promising ‘highly skilled in-house essay writers’ ready to complete assignments to order will pop up. Some offer discounts and others claim the people who write essays for their customers are ‘PhD Qualified Professionals’. Many warn in a disclaimer that handing one of their essays in could get students into trouble and claim the work is only intended for research purposes. But those investigating these sites have seen a rise in the number of students caught submitting paid-for essays, whether ordered through websites or word of mouth, as their own work – a practice known as ‘contract cheating’. Students at Coventry and Swansea universities are leading the British effort in a worldwide protest against contract cheating, aimed at making students aware of its consequences. Coventry students’ union vice president for education, Akanimo Enime, spoke to students about the problem and appeared in a video during a global day of action on October 19. He said the level of essay writing support on offer at the university meant students should never have to turn to outside help if they are

The only people who can bring this to an end are the students themselves

Akanimo Enime, vice-president for education, CUSU

stuck. ‘One way of really reducing the number is to make students more aware of resources at the university such as the Centre for Academic Writing,’ he added. ‘It’s a student problem and the only people that can bring an end to it are the students themselves. ‘If the students choose not to take advantage of the resources then contract cheating will continue.’ He admitted it was unlikely the problem would be completely stamped out but said ‘it can be reduced’. Lowering the numbers has become an urgent task as the presence of online ‘essay mills’ grows. Thomas Lancaster, a lecturer at Coventry who has researched the problem for the past ten years, said: ‘The number of students using these services is sky-rocketing – or if it wasn’t there before, we’re starting to detect it a lot more.’ He said one factor behind the rise could be students starting degrees in subjects linked to high wages rather than in something they are good at. ‘Business disciplines show particularly high rates of contract cheating,’ he said. ‘People on those types of courses can get held up by the mathematical elements. ‘I think another thing is students end up succumbing to the pressure. [Essay mills] have really ramped up their marketing and how they push themselves to students. Now you

December 2016

IN NUMBERS

lowest price found for an essay – a law masters dissertation proposal – by researchers Newton and Lang last year

This is degrading everybody's degrees

Irene Glendinning, anti-cheating campaigner

Global fight: Students at Coventry University, top, and Simon Fraser University in Canada, left and right, speak out against cheating

most expensive essay found by the same researchers, for an English PhD dissertation

INSIDE STORY: I MADE £500 WRITING ESSAYS FOR ANOTHER STUDENT, BUT I HATED DOING IT A former student who has written essays for money in the past tells us their story.

PICTURES: COVENTRY UNIVERSITY SU/ SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

can’t even search on the internet for essay help without these companies coming back as the first results.’ He said although cheating was often seen as a victimless crime, ‘this is not the case’. ‘Two students might both go to a job interview and one person will have cheated their way through a degree,’ he added. Dr Lancaster’s colleague Irene Glendinning, the university’s academic manager for student experience, is one of the global group of academics who organised the day of action on October 19. She agreed that cheating was far from victimless. ‘The honest students think it’s absolutely dreadful that students are doing this because it’s degrading everybody’s degrees by having students cheating,’ she said. ‘They’re simply not learning anything. In some ways it’s like a drug because if they’re doing it and not learning anything then they can’t do anything else after that because they can’t build on knowledge they haven’t got.’ Ms Glendinning and other campaigners want to see contract cheating made illegal by governments across the world. ‘We thought that would send the right message to students,’ she said. But she added using the law to clamp down on websites would be hard because many are based abroad, where labour is cheaper. ‘What we see as a very small amount of money, for example 50 dollars, is what it can cost to do an essay,’ she said. ‘That’s a lot of money in some countries. ‘You can request what date you want it by, how much you want to pay and what result you want, so you can say “I’ll have a first”, or “I’ll be OK with a third or a 2:2” and you can pay extra to get it more quickly.’ Dr Lancaster said picking up on cheats using online essay writing sites was hard because the companies often guarantee work is original, meaning it will not come up when tutors check for plagiarism. ‘They make it clear they will delete the essays from the system,’ he added. ‘It was suggested that if they want to help universities, they could give copies of essays to [an online plagiarism checker].’ TUP put this suggestion to Daniel Dennehy, chief operating officer of UK Essays, which offers ‘Academic Writing Services’ on its website. He said sharing essays on plagiarism-checking sites was ‘not something we do’. ‘I don’t see it as a long-term solution whatsoever,’ he added. ‘You go backwards 20 years and you used to get parents and family members and friends writing essays for you anyway. ‘So us submitting everything we’ve ever done to [a plagiarism checking site] – it’s not going to stop the other little companies that just pop up.’ The company’s website offers ‘complete confidence’ when ordering and guarantees ‘100 per cent originality’. But Mr Dennehy said students were briefed on the company’s policy that essays are merely

Ghost writing was something I fell into as a student. I was introduced to someone at a different university who studied a similar course and wanted someone to write essays for him in exchange for money. Although I worked, got a full loan and a full grant, I was still somehow always short of cash, so the amount he was offering was the initial attraction. First, I worked out the risks and felt there was little chance of me getting caught as we went to different universities, so I agreed to write two essays for £500 – however, the price would

model answers and should not be submitted as their own work. ‘We’re very heavy on the fair use policy, in terms of when they ring up and enquire about a service, we give that to them,’ he added. ‘We tell them it’s not to be handed in.’ He said the guarantees of originality were to make sure work is ‘tailored’ to customers’ needs. But he admitted he understood how students could be tempted to hand in an essay they had paid for. ‘Unfortunately other sites out there do not care about this aspect,’

vary depending on the grade. When I sat down to write the essays I found it very difficult to get them done, so the standard of the essay wasn’t the same as if it were my own and it got to the point where I just wanted it to be finished. I finally managed to get both essays complete – after a bit of a struggle, as they were due around the same time as my own work. Once I sent the essays off to the other student there was a disagreement with the amount of money promised. This wasn’t because of the grade he got – he received a 2:1 for both the essays, which we had agreed was worth £500. After the dispute I didn’t get the amount promised and began to doubt how much I trusted this person. I went on to study my

he said. ‘They will just sell an essay and that’s it. We’re so different. ‘Fifty per cent of our homepage is dedicated to free resources. It’s not about just selling essays.’ A government report published earlier this year looked into a small sample of essay mill websites and found most were either registered overseas or anonymously. The report, Plagiarism In Higher Education, by the The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, also asked why the sites were in demand, giving laziness

I wouldn’t recommend risking your own degree to help someone else’s

Former ghost writer

third year at university when he approached me again. He asked me to write a 3,000 word essay for £200, for a module he had to retake. I refused the offer as I was in my final year at university and felt dedicating my time to my own work was more important than getting paid to do someone else’s. In hindsight I am not ashamed of what I did as there are a lot more immoral things you can do for money. Perhaps I would have carried on if the person I wrote the essays for didn’t mess me around. However I wouldn’t recommend risking your own degree to help someone else’s and I do agree that the whole business of ghost writing and essay fraud does cheapen the worth of a degree.

as one possible reason. But it also noted that out of the 50,000 students caught cheating at British universities over the past three years, a disproportionately high number were from overseas. ‘Cultures vary in their interpretations about what is and what is not acceptable in academic writing,’ the report added. Mr Deheney, whose company is registered in the UK, has spoken to many students who use its services, although he is not a graduate himself. He said one of the reasons

Does cheating ruin the image of education or is it a victimless offence? Email your thoughts to editor@unipaper. co.uk

students gave for seeking outside help was not being able to get support from their university. ‘If it’s a particular subject or module they don’t understand, they don’t have that one-on-one time with their tutor and there’s an increasing demand on tutors over the past few years,’ he added. But Dr Lancaster said this idea was the opposite to what he had come across in his research. ‘There’s so much more help now than there was ten years ago,’ he added.

K number of students caught cheating at British universities in a three year period. But that's only...

per cent of the entire student population in the UK

6|Research

December 2016

www.unipaper.co.uk | t @TheUniPaper | f TheUniPaper

Hanging with buddies makes chimps less stressed Study shows the value of friendship

conflict between rival groups and ‘downtime’, when chips were relaxed. The study found daily supportive actions from friends and family may be key to regulating hormone stress levels, which could have medical implications for humans. In humans and chimps, stress is related to poor health and high mortality levels. Prof Klaus Zuberbühler, a researcher at St Andrews, said: ‘The major finding here is long-term social bonds, or ‘friendships’, play an especially important role, demonstrating that the effects of hormones go much beyond the ‘here-and-now’. He said stress hormones ‘interact with the life histories and long-term social strategies of these animals’.

@ Amy Denman Long-term social bonds, or ‘friendships’, play an especially important role

Prof Klaus Zuberbühler, University of St Andrews

Supportive smooch: Stress can be reduced by a friendly face

First found dino brain confirmed @ Amy Denman

What could have been mistaken for a brown pebble has been confirmed as the first example of a fossilised dinosaur brain. The tissue, which is likely to be from a species related to the iguanodon, was examined by researchers from the University of Manchester and the University of Cambridge, who found tough membranes surrounding the brain. The iguanodon was a large herbivorous dinosaur, which lived during the early Cretaceous period, around 133million years ago. The discovery was made by a fossil hunter in Sussex more than ten years ago, but researchers have now identified parts of the brain, including blood vessels, using CT

scans and electron microscopes. Finding fossilised soft tissue is rare, but this dinosaur’s brain was pickled in a highly acidic and lowoxygen stretch of water shortly after its death, which helped preserve it. The conditions in the water were similar to those where prehistoric ‘bog bodies’, which still have their skin and hair, have been found. Dr Russell Garwood, a lecturer in earth sciences at Manchester, said: ‘This is a really interesting

Pebble brain: The brain, shown in red

specimen, and by CT scanning it we’ve managed to get a clearer picture of which parts have preserved tissues and which are mostly sediment infill. ‘Untangling the complex history of how this might have come to be preserved was something of a challenge.’

Sound of road traffic could kill wild animals @ Amy Denman Whoever thought noise could affect your sense of smell? According to a University of Bristol study, man-made sounds can have a negative impact on how animals perceive the world. Scientists conducted field-based experiments on dwarf mongooses. They played recordings of road traffic noise and placed a predator’s faeces around the animals’ burrow to convince them danger was near. Once the mongooses found the predator poo, the traffic sounds made it harder for them to inspect it. They also found it harder to scan for danger and spent less time in the safety of their burrow, leaving them more vulnerable to hunters. Prof Andy Radford from the School of Biological Sciences said: ‘We’ve known for a long time noise from urbanisation, traffic and airports can

PICTURE: SHANNON BENSON

PICTURE: TAMBAKO THE JAGUAR

‘I get by with a little help from my friends’ rings true even for wild animals, researchers found. According to research from the University of St Andrews, support from family and friends significantly reduces stress in wild chimpanzees. The researchers joined with scientists at a university in Germany to study how chimps cope with both stressful and non-stressful situations when a ‘close bond partner’ is both present and absent. The scientists measured the hormone stress levels in the chimps’ urine during episodes of

detrimentally affect humans by causing stress, sleep deprivation, cardiac problems and slower learning. ‘What’s becoming increasingly clear is that a lot of other species – mammals, birds, fish, insects and amphibians – are also impacted in all sorts of ways by anthropogenic, or man-made, noise.’ Lead author Amy Morris-Drake said: ‘While lots of work on the impacts of man-made noise has shown effects on animal vocalisations, movement patterns and foraging, it is often difficult to determine what that might mean for survival or reproductive success. ‘By looking at responses to cues about a predator’s presence, there is a direct link to survival; making the wrong decision can result in death.’ Scent-sitive: A dwarf mongoose

Can he fix it? Female fish judge males on their DIY Dads must adapt to changing conditions @ Amy Denman Female fish judge potential mates on their ability to build the right nest for their environment, a study suggests. Three-spined stickleback mothersto-be prefer a loosely constructed nest when there is less oxygen in the rivers they inhabit, and a tighter design when the supply is better. University of Leicester researchers

DIY dad: Stickleback

found female sticklebacks chose a mate based on his ability to build a nest suitable for the conditions. Male sticklebacks look after the eggs and young fish on their own, fanning water through the nest so the growing small fry have enough oxygen to develop. Researchers at the Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour said looser nests made it easier for water, and therefore oxygen, to be wafted through the nest to the young. But tighter builds give young fish

more protection from predators. Researcher Dr Megan Head said: ‘What is really cool about this result is females seemed to have flexible preferences for the type of nest they preferred – they did not always choose a particular nest design, but they chose the nest which was best designed for the particular conditions they were experiencing.’ Environmental changes, including global warming and pollution, can lead to reduced oxygen levels underwater and can pose a threat to the fish and can affect their

reproductive behaviours. Dr Iain Barber, the lead researcher from Leicester, said: ‘This makes sense, because male sticklebacks have to work really hard as dads, using their fins to fan water through the nest to supply the eggs with the oxygen they need to develop. ‘If the water is low in oxygen, then having a looser, more open nest allows more oxygen to reach the eggs, but it probably comes at the expense of increasing the risk of them being discovered by predators.’

IN BRIEF

Apps treat diabetes Phone apps could give effective help to patients with type two diabetes, according to research from Cardiff University. The review of 14 previous studies found they had all reported a reduction in average blood glucose levels in patients who used an app compared to those who did not. Current apps allow patients to keep track of progress, plan meals and prepare for appointments.

View not so cloudy now University of Leeds scientists used a cloud lab to discover how particles form in the atmosphere. They travelled to CERN in Switzerland to watch molecules cluster together to create particles that lead to cloud formation. Prof Ken Carslaw, the lead scientist in the study, said: ‘This is a major milestone in our understanding of the atmosphere.’

Weekend is ‘no less safe’ NHS trauma services in England show no signs of a ‘weekend effect’, a study shows. A team from universities including Liverpool and Manchester studied data from 22 major trauma centres in England. The study found no difference in patient death and recovery between those who were treated at the weekend and those admitted on a weekday.

Personality picks music The type of person you are dictates the kind of music you like, a study has found. Guests on the Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs were grouped by their professions by Glasgow Caledonian University researchers and given corresponding traits, such as ‘social’ for counsellors. Social types chose new music and arty people liked quiet tunes.

Anti-doping push backed Leeds Beckett University is taking part in a study funded by the International Olympic Committee in a bid to stop cheating in sport. Teams at the university will research the outcomes of antidoping education programmes.

THE EVER DELIGHTFUL

VICTORIA HALL HAS BEEN REJUVENATED, REPLENISHED, MASSAGED AND RESKINNED TO REEMERGE AS

Student Living with Feta Cheese

• 24/7 on-site staff • All bedrooms en-suite • Double or three quarter size beds in most rooms • 100Mb broadband internet in each room • Rents inclusive of all bills • Fantastic University/City locations • On-site laundry facilities

WWW.UNIONSTATE.CO.UK BIRMINGHAM

GLASGOW

LIVERPOOL

NOTTINGHAM

SHEFFIELD

+44 (0)121 256 7000 birmingham@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)141 354 4100 glasgow@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)151 907 7000 liverpool@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)115 908 2600 nottingham@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)114 289 3500 sheffield@unionstate.co.uk

CARDIFF

LEICESTER

NEWCASTLE

MANCHESTER

WOLVERHAMPTON

+44 (0)292 035 9500 cardiff@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)116 253 5700 leicester@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)191 580 2320 newcastle@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)161 908 7000 manchesterhcs@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)1902 504320 wolverhampton@unionstate.co.uk

US_IFC_259mm x 325mm_AW.indd 2

11/11/2016 11:34

The Interview

THE EVER DELIGHTFUL

VICTORIA HALL HAS BEEN REJUVENATED, REPLENISHED, MASSAGED AND RESKINNED TO REEMERGE AS

Student Living with Kopi Luwak

@ Amy Denman • 24/7 on-site staff LICKER Than Your Average is not just • All bedrooms en-suite an album title for Craig David – it’s a • Double or three quarter size beds in most rooms personality trait. He is one of the most alluring but • 100Mb broadband internet in each room humble artists I’ve interviewed, even as he tells me about the Miami • Rents inclusive of all bills house parties that fuelled his comeback. From debut album Born To • Fantastic University/City locations Do It to his latest, Following My Intuition, David’s music spans • On-site laundry facilities generations, with requests for

as smooth as ever: ‘For me, that’s beautiful,’ he says. ‘You can’t make those stories up – one minute your mum’s playing the music, then you discover the newer music, then we do an interview together and then – I just love it, I love how things always join up in the end.’ his early hits still being made at It has been 16 years since my nightclub DJ booths up and down mum and I were singing along to the country. 7 Days and Fill Me In and the ‘That’s probably the most surreal singer was pioneering UK garage. and exciting thing that’s happening But for a while there was a quiet at the moment,’ David says. ‘Some period, in which the Southamptonof those songs were so big and they born artist spent a lot of his time touched so many people. living it up in America. ‘I would love to say I had some But he was still working hard. master plan for all this but it really Before his comeback album, he is something that has completely toured across the UK playing NOTTINGHAM SHEFFIELD thrown me for six.’ festivals and had a stint at Ibiza +44 (0)115 908 2600of throwbacks, I tell+44 (0)114 289 3500 Speaking Rocks this year with Craig David’s David how my mum and I would TS5 Pool Party. nottingham@unionstate.co.uk sheffield@unionstate.co.uk blast Born To Do It in her car His TS5 DJ set, which grew in when I was younger. His reply is popularity after getting a UK radio MANCHESTER WOLVERHAMPTON slot, started out as a house party in his Miami504320 pad. +44 (0)161 908 7000 +44 (0)1902 ‘When I started doing the first manchesterhcs@unionstate.co.uk wolverhampton@unionstate.co.uk house party I was really over the whole thing of going to a club – especially in the Miami nightlife,’

WWW.UNIONSTATE.CO.UK BIRMINGHAM

GLASGOW

LIVERPOOL

+44 (0)121 256 7000 birmingham@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)141 354 4100 glasgow@unionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)151 907 7000 liverpool@unionstate.co.uk

CARDIFF

LEICESTER

NEWCASTLE

+44 (0)292 035 9500

+44 (0)116 253 5700

+44 (0)191 580 2320

cardiff@unionstate.co.uk

leicester@unionstate.co.uk

newcastle@unionstate.co.uk

US_IFC_259mm x 325mm_AW.indd 1

11/11/2016 11:33

Comment

25 9

December 2016

Want to have your say about a current event? Email your comment to editor@unipaper.co.uk

Many expect university to be the best three years of their lives, but as the price tag is pushed up by the government and fears grow that the bill will keep on growing, some are asking if we should be getting into debt for our degrees

This month’s question:

With the rise in tuition fees, is the cost of studying worth it? ‘Soft’ degrees not worth the money

When I asked people what they thought of this, the majority said university was not still worth the cost. I would say they are right. It has become clear we are paying a fortune for a degree where we have nine hours of contact time a week and spend most of the time skipping lectures and writing essays the night before. Vocational degrees are still essential, and are worth the cost. However, with the rise of fees, ‘soft’ degrees can be seen as futile. With more apprenticeships than ever, work experience is more valuable than non-vocational degrees.

Loan repayments like a tax on wages

Science departments require a lot of equipment, whereas humanities departments need some chairs and that’s about it. So why is there a blanket fee for all courses? I used to think it was fine, but then I realised it made no sense at all. Before this revelation, I thought paying the same amount as someone studying a subject that was more expensive to run was just how things were and so how they should be. It was one of those illogical things the precepts of capitalist society require us not to question. I don’t think it’s logical to pay £2 for a coffee, but it’s just what is done. So I happily drifted along with the notion of paying £9,000 for a course on which I mainly spend my time independently reading books which I for the most part have bought myself. But now, I’m not so sure…

Working out the value of uni is like an equation

With the recent farcical reworkings of student finance, it now no longer matters what the cost of university is. The truth of the matter is, if you’re claiming the full amount of student loan, you might never be able to pay it back. As student loan repayment is tied to salary and not the amount owed – although this does accrue interest – it makes sense for most students to claim the maximum loan. No real attempt at paying back the money ever has to be made, as all outstanding debt is wiped after 30 years. Effectively, for 30 years you will be taxed at nine per cent of your salary above £21,000. So the question for most people isn’t whether increased fees make university worse value for money, it is whether university is worth a 30 year tax. And for me, it is.

The comeback king talks freestyling, house parties and uniting the generations

Immy White, Newcastle University editor

Why should all courses cost the same? Elliott Mills, Warwick University

You can’t put a price tag on the experience Louisa Kendal, Bristol University editor

With uni fees, rent and bills all

they can invite mates and soaring, theretheir are definitely everyone who university comes through this times when doesn’t door isworth VIP. There’s drinks on tap feel it. and food. goingwhich to get We’reEveryone’s spending money a little shout out onyet theand microphone we’ve not made we all know we’llfeels still be paying the so everyone like a little star in debt off from beyond grave. In those anxietythethe place”.’ inducing moments, I Not always take awith second reflect content theirtohost’s on the past two years. Have I made the best friends

One minute yourI could mum’s playing the music, then you discover wish for? Yep! Have I grown intellectually and the newer music, then we do an interview I just love it personally? Of course! Havetogether I had the – most amazing years of my life? Without a doubt!

he says. ‘It would be “come better-than-your-average I can’tinto imagine who I would be if I hadn’t hadDJing the the VIP area,” and people just gotI’ve had skills, theFor guests started to demand experiences at uni. me, it’s the memories, a little too excited about it, because sing well.university worth it. which money can’the buy, thatasmake they were in the VIP area and ‘People kept saying “you gotta there was a red rope dividing the sing one of your tunes”, because at No-one and this little Canarea. universities justify price on dancefloor first putting I wouldanever doknowledge? that,’ he says. knowswere the just getting When at the facts and figures,other the cost of ‘People a looking bit ‘I was just playing people’s on it, whereas university is eye-watering. too impact elitist about I just tunes and adlibbing and freestyling.’ Plus,this with spent writing essays, thepro, wasour likelives “you know what, isthe all-nighters So as he’s now a house party of exams andI wonder the increasing uncertainty of tips. nonsense,” because tostress be honest, if he can pass on any Jasmine job prospects, I would lying if I said I had being inside this areagraduate is so stuffy ‘Even if it’sbeten friends in your never to uni was worth it. andChinasamy, crowded and drinks arequestioned poured whether house, ifgoing you’re playing the right UCL editor However, it is toomusic, soon for anyone tothe be certain of all over you. It’s not what it’s really you’ve got right drinks the long-term impact of university costs ourenergy, adult made out to be. going on and it’s the on right Instead of dwelling ‘So the whole wavelives. of house that’s on all doubts a houseabout partythe is,’worth he says. of university, how much course, all parties came about because I was I focus on ‘All I’ve doneI love is domy that and it’s the friends experiences that just saying “listen, I’m going to I have made crazyand for the me life when I’m in front throw my own houseuniversity party, I’maffords. of 20,000 people at Glastonbury, In choosing to study at university have all doing going to invite my friends and thinking “this iswe what I was asserted that, at some we have faith a withlevel, my mates with tenthat people university education is an investment that pay off. having shots” so it’s nowill different

Jack Taylor, Nottingham University

Heba Asran, Salford University

Let’s face it: University is expensive. Even if the tuition fees are disregarded for a moment, the costs of food, travel, books, and rent can add up to make any prospective student squirm. If you bring tuition fees back into the equation you’re left with an algebraic atrocity. You must define the term ‘worth’ both numerically and subjectively. If a student is agreeing to the debt, then the degree must hold some worth to them. Yes, the fees can be daunting, but most importantly, prospective students should study something they enjoy, because debt can come and go, but the experience of a higher education you enjoy and apply yourself to can be worthwhile.

Soapbox:

Captialism is killing the natural world: It must be stopped

We are living in an increasingly corrupt and hostile world. Every day the morning headlines and the evening news are filled with stories that could feature on Black Mirror episodes. We’re constantly to me but it’s just crazy how it’s We gain University is still worth investing in, despite the sharp seeing actions that go against basic connected.’ more than be the case, increase in tuition feesIover the lasthow few much years. David humanity – so often, compassion witnessed That may but his just a provides with ainto standard of higher when I has been replaced by confusion. his performances gatherings have led toItbig thingspeople for puts degree education that cannot be matched in anylaunch other at HMV This very minute, native watched his album the DJ. A Radio 1Xtra appearance environment. it’s expensive, but Street the student Americans aregoing battling to protect in London’s Oxford earlier show, before viral. led to a collaboration with rapperOf course Patrick loan system student their sacred land at Standing year. the chance to get a ‘A lot of the songs literally Rock, start Big Narstie on the single Whengives The anythis Hollis, Drops anddegree. Most studentsNot won’t need to paythe off their against the DakotaDavid Access Pipeline. content with billeddebt, from freestyling,’ adds. Bassline a new record Coventry which means long term financial are history. Recently declared: three songs, worries he finished off the His beliefTheresa in doingMay things deal came shortly afterwards, University social aspect of university also makes the ‘If you believe performance with an impromptu organically canyou’re lead toaacitizen difference before Following MyThe Intuition £9,000 year very worth it. Living and working of the world, you’re a citizen of freestyle, saying he didn’t feel he’d opinion while making records. entered the UK chart at theatop. with new people is the idealusway to work onhe group nowhere.’ And it’sare been predicted given a show until added a ‘The producers more inclined ‘I was totally overwhelmed,’ and little improve social skills. that by 2020, two-thirds of wildlife something extra. to have the track and everything David says. ‘It was communication surprising The skills, experiences independence will be lost because poaching and ‘I and just sort of felt thatgained when Iby already together,’ heof says. ‘I’m like because I was really excited about moving university was are testing for any but it habitat As dystopian as doing the fewstudent songs people “let medestruction. get in the booth and put my putting out this album, in a to very challenges which up being vital these issues sound, areplay in no were will justend getting into it,’ hewhen says. headphones on andthey [then] me similar way to whenisIthese put the first way of The the injustices the it andexhaustive record me”. first two or album, Born To Dosearching It, out. for jobs. ‘Because I was used to doing an world is facingthat today. hour and a half set, I was like “I’ve three minutes come out of my ‘There was no pressure in terms Although thesethere stories gotta do something”. mouth – usually is aseem good 70 of when I needed to get the album It’s pricey, I‘Also, don’t agree the rise unrelated, allisboil to the I likewith keeping thein per cent ofthey it that thedown melody. ready. It was so natural the way but the job universityon tuition same thing. allsitting a resultdown of musicians theirfees, toes.and I was like ‘I feel likeThey ratherare than the songs came around, so I was marketthat is people were going to believe should be lowered capitalism. created a “let’s do they a little freestyle and see and makingCapitalism it a sciencehas experiment excited rather than raised. where profit isofvalued what you’ve got here because yeah, society and doing the maths a song,more it becompetitive able to hear new music. therehearsed problem is so than peace, youHowever, may have those should be a and vibe.corporative gain ‘But then to see it holding at Lily Winter, many people feel pressured comes above compassion. number one throughout the week I feel like than making it ajudges science Bath into going torather university. So sitting down and Our world now progress and of Spa all people Greg James – who and doing the maths ofby a song, should a vibe University many into higher eduction and many profit it and pushesbe any other has been championing mepeople at now goexperiment editor1 forever – toemployers motive to the side. Radio be able toexpect you to have a degree on your CV just worksongs, experience in that field. do some This hasthecreated a mentality that I but let’s actually ‘I love freestyle of it because announce it live on rather air wasthan crazy.’ So while although I feel university is too expensive, I also the west is more andis.’ live music”. think that’s whereprogressive all the magic David kept it low key feel Isuccess don’t have a choice whenallsothat many people are it successful thehe resthas of any the world, ‘I love stuff because That’s notthan to say celebrating the album’s getting degrees. I don’t thinkitI’ll ever pay off my whole only successful makes feel spontaneous and real.’ and less you of a are connection to DJingif–you though. loan because andis many graduates to thishis way of thinking. David no stranger to now freestyling subscribe he was touring hometown, ‘I love live performance,’ he of the cost, salary when finally job – there My issue with – his they album trackget 16abegan that Southampton, ascapitalism well as is the says. ‘So I was just receive resting auplow and are just too many degrees to compete. separation it has created between way, with on MistaJam’s Radio 1Xtra Bournemouth and Portsmouth making sure I was 110 per cent for people human gain andever the album. rest of the before his first performing rather than completely world. Wesuch are an knowingly the ‘It was importanttaking element turning up and losing myself.’ homes of animals that have existed

long before we have. We are even taking their lives as our property. Every house in the west has some sort of animal product in it and runs on resources that threaten the existence of wildlife. The resource threatening nature the most is also threatening the water supply to Standing Rock’s sacred land. Spirituality, which is one of the deepest and most intrinsic human needs, is put second to the need for oil. The native Americans are confronted riot police armed of my songby writing,’ he says. ‘I with pepper spray andfrom rubber would take the songs thebullets as they play try tothem protect intrinsic studio, to atheir crowd and human need, while no one knew it was corporations from me. take more test of what doesn’t ‘I could the song out belong to see to them. what the reaction was.’ And these people ever Davidshould tells me how he enjoys need to flee their country, so the freedom of DJing and as being many they must of able tocurrently remix hisdo, own work. course askover themselves: ‘I think the years‘Where when can II’d go?’ In of a world founded on profit, kind left that part behind,’ there is no he says. ‘Asroom soonfor as refugees I broughtwho it will and resources. backtake intoup thespace mix again it brought Recently Theresa made her everything back to itMay being brand most problematic new, like I did withstatement Born To to Dodate, and sent a message It, and also it allowsthat me safety to flexand protection differently.are only yours if you’re lucky. ‘I can do some of the remixes of these strike ofWhile some all of my songsissues or play an me as contrary tofreestyle the natural order instrumental and over it. of‘It’s the world, it’sthat important given me balancetoof the remember we still are part ofable this to order. new stuff and being do We all cogs in the machine, the oldare stuff and love that as well.’ the drops that make up the ocean. We are not passive bystanders but active participants, letting it continue. If our society doesn’t seem right, we have the power to change it. Louisa Kendal

www.host-students.com @hoststudentsuk /HostTheGlassworks

The Glassworks, Leicester. Make yourself at home.

60 Newarke Street, Leicester LE1 5AN +44 (0)116 326 6150

All of our shared apartments are en-suite and are arranged in flats of 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 6 students. For those who prefer more independent living, we offer studio apartments with the same fantastic facilities provided in our shared apartments. The Glassworks is located seconds from university, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re directly opposite the Hugh Aston Building and close to city centre attractions and nightlife. Make sure you get the room you want for 2017 and call now today to put your name on our waiting list!

H012-GW Uni Paper ad 259x325 0916-2.indd 1

01/10/2016 12:16

Your Life

Students reveal their unique experiences at university. Email editor@unipaper.co.uk to tell your story

December 2016

I started uni with a new identity Weeks before Harry Taylor, 20, arrived at university for the first time, he came out as a female-to-male transgender person

NEVER thought it would be a plan of mine to start university as the gender I always knew I was – male – but I thought I would take the opportunity while it was there and it just kind of happened that way. It was really quite quick – I literally bought a few new clothes, cut my hair short, because it had been long until this point, and then moved to Westminster University. I had come out to my parents before I moved to university but when I went into the ﬂat I shared with 12 people I introduced myself under my previous name. As soon as my parents left I said to my new housemates ‘I don’t really want to be known as that, I just don’t want to upset my parents’. From day one everyone was great. There was never an issue with me being trans at all, in fact people were just curious and supportive more than anything. One of the ﬁrst things I did when I got to London was go to

the shops and buy myself a whole new wardrobe. I had to do that in order to pass as male at uni. It was a bit of a shock – I didn’t realise I would have to do this at the time but it kind of just happened. Then as the seasons changed I had to keep buying new clothes I’ve not experienced any negative reactions from other students or staff to being transgender. However there are some things at uni which are sometimes a bit of a problem. I’d be binding my chest and wouldn’t feel comfortable to go into the male or the female changing rooms at the gym. Also I hadn’t legally changed my name before I enrolled, so I still had my birth name, which is very feminine. I was telling people I was Harry and then on the registers that wouldn’t be the case, so a lot of people would be confused because they didn’t realise I was trans. When tutors read out the register of names I would be publicly outed. Similar incidents happened where

the tutor would split the class into one male and one female group and it would be an issue where I would think ‘where will I go? There’s not really a place for me here’. But the hardest thing I have experienced during my time at university has been trying to get referred to a gender identity clinic. I set up a new GP when I started uni and I thought ‘I’ve known for ﬁve or six years now – I’m ready to transition [change gender presentation permanently] even though I’ve just come out’. When I went to the doctor to get some help, they transferred me to about three or four different mental health teams – completely the wrong places. Nothing was happening and I got more depressed and agitated being at uni and not having a low voice. I just had to constantly out myself to people in order to get the right pronoun. I thought ‘I can’t keep feeling like this’, so I went private. I paid for two appointments and I

got a prescription for my hormones. I study television production and I made a short film called Silent T about being transgender, which helped fund a lot of my private transitioning. Myself and my friend Ross decided to make the film for Campus MovieFest. Ross is gay and I’m trans so we decided we wanted to do something LGBT-based. We decided to do something on social justice and I wrote a poem for the film. We didn’t realise how much the I had to film would take off, but it won a constantly few awards. What was interesting out myself to is Campus MovieFest actually get the right emailed me to say would I want to pronoun be up for best actress or best actor Harry Taylor which I think is a bit ironic. We put the film on Facebook not thinking much of it. I’d come out to everyone at university at this point and I forgot I’d made a brand new Do you have a story Facebook profile. to share? Email I didn’t have many of my old editor@unipaper. friends on it, apart from one or two, co.uk but when they shared it, the others found out [I was transgender]. I didn’t realise how many people I Poetic social justice: Harry made a film on being trans had known in my life.

EARN UP TO £1,000 FOR 11 DAYS’ WORK* WE’RE RECRUITING HUNDREDS OF WORKERS FOR DECEMBER 2016 AT OUR PRESTIGIOUS FOOD PRODUCTION CLIENTS IN COBDEN STREET AND BEAUMONT LEYS Overtime paid at x1.25 after 39 hours | Uniform provided | Subsidised meals Level 2 food safety training and full induction

SHIFTS AVAILABLE: DAYS 6AM-6PM / NIGHTS 6PM-6AM

TO APPLY:

Email jobs@alacarte-recruitment.co.uk, visit our office at 72 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 1DJ Or call the recruitment team on

0116 285 4455

*Based on 11 consecutive 12 hour shifts, basic pay rates: £5.80/hour age 18-20, £6.70/hour age 21-24, £7.20/hour age 25+, rates will increase to match any NLW/NMW legislation. A La Carte Recruitment is part of the Staffline Group plc and is an employment agency and employment business. A LA Carte Recruitment, 72 Granby Street, Leicester, LE1 1DJ

What’s On

TheSorry Lowdown I punched Santa

December 2016

P16 & 17

DEBORAH MEADEN Staying cool in the den

TRAILER PARK BOYS P18 & 19

MILLIONAIRES Success after graduation

P23

KATE TEMPEST d internet in each room On loving language all bills access entry systems P24 ity/City locations

• • • •

Limited on-site parking available Newly built, modern common room On-site laundry facilities Contents insurance

This trailer trash trio are always getting into trouble with their drunken antics

MANCHESTER

DAVID Feeling the musical vibe

chesterhcs@unionstate.co.uk

PICTURE: KNUT_AASERUD

SGOW Street, Glasgow G4 0DS nstate.co.uk ionstate.co.uk

+44 (0)161 908 7000 CRAIG

Mischief next plan is to ‘screw the Canadian cars and big women’. He says he city, especially when he ‘got drunk makers: (l-r) government over’ by setting up his lives in his car because he ‘bangs in with Noel Fielding, got thrown out Julian, Bubbles own school. S SOON as I start the boot, right in the middle of the of Buckingham Palace and looked at and Ricky chatting to the Trailer He explains: ‘Regular schools are intersection’. old shit’. Park Boys, Julian, not working’ and he wants to teach Julian, played by John Paul Bubbles tells me this time he is Ricky and Bubbles, kids ‘regular life stuff, instead of Tremblay, is ‘a businessman’ and coming to ‘spread the true meaning they tell me it’s 1.23pm he’s going to be retired ‘probably in filling your head with a bunch of of Christmas: getting drunk and in their home country of Canada – nonsense’. the next two years’. smoking dope with your friends and and they are ‘WASTED!’. This all sounds like a great idea, Julian started an illegal bar and family, and not worrying about any The characters I am talking to are until Julian tells me he’s hoping to casino in the trailer park. ‘I’m an damn money’. so embedded in the actors who play meet ‘Santa, Jesus, the big guy’ to entrepreneur, like Trump, but not a Quite the opportunist, Ricky them, it’s hard to remember I’m not apologise for punching him last year. interjects, and says Christmas is ‘the dick,’ he says. actually speaking to real people. Assuming they aren’t locked up at Canadian politics is rather calm best time to make money, as everyone Bubbles, played by Mike Smith, the time, the trio will be leaving their is spending money’. compared to the current US situation, tells me he enjoys ‘long walks on the the boys tell me they would ‘start a riot’ on-screen trailer park home in Nova Ricky warns me: ‘If you don’t beach, kitties and getting down with Scotia to visit the UK in December if the political situation in the States like to swear or hear swearing don’t WOLVERHAMPTON NEWCASTLE NOTTINGHAM SHEFFIELD For a longer version for their Dear Santa Claus, Go F#CK the ladies’. was ever emulated in Canada. come, if you’re offended by hash or +44 (0)1902 of this interview go 289 Yourself Tour. Mischief908 is a common marijuana,504320 don’t come. Same goes +44 (0)191Ricky, 580 played 2320by Robb Wells, tells +44 (0)115 2600 theme in +44 (0)114 3500 to www.unipaper. me he ‘likes to smoke cigarettes They have visited thewolverhampton@unionstate.co.uk UK before, the show, as they are constantly in sheffield@unionstate.co.uk for nudity or drinking. newcastle@unionstate.co.uk nottingham@unionstate.co.uk co.uk and marijuana, drink and enjoy selling out shows in 2015. Bubbles and out of jail and plotting ways to ‘Everybody is welcome, as long as fast cars and fast women – and big tells me London was his favourite get rich quick. Julian tells me his they are drunk.’

@ Maya Jundi

11/11/2016 11:23

Sponsored content

December 2016

There is no better time of year to get up to snow good (on both sides of the bar)

@ European Bartender School HE bells are ringing and Mariah Carey is blasting through the sound-system. Someone is approaching you under the mistletoe… This is your chance – play it cool. They open their mouth and whisper into your ear: “What’s your cheapest shot?” Welcome to Christmas behind the bar! You will be in for a roller-coaster of a month for sure, and December will have its ups and downs. Don’t panic though, we have some tips which will help you to survive the festive season without turning into too much of a Scrooge. n Comradeship is key You and your bartending buds are in this together. However, don’t expect the fun to just appear from nowhere – sometimes it needs a little spontaneous spruce up. Try to pick up the Christmas spirit with a game. If you need some inspiration, our favourite is bar bingo. All you need is a bingo card each

Check out EBS’s website www. barschool.net

No bar-humbugs here and the rules are easy: Check a box off each time someone asks for ‘something sweet’ or when someone starts dancing on a table. You get an instant full house when

there is a marriage proposal, so keep your eyes peeled. n Spruce up Spotify There are only so many times you

can listen to The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album before all of your Good Vibrations go out the window. Create a varied Christmas playlist to keep your sanity in gear. Search

SHAPE YOUR

CAREER

GET STARTED AT MILKROUND.COM

Graduates come in all shapes and sizes - so one-size-fits-all solutions simply don’t work when you’re taking your first steps on your career path. Milkround will provide you with all the help you need to choose the direction that works best for you. We offer top-quality advice so you’ll never put a foot wrong - and because we have the widest range of graduate employers, jobs and opportunities known to man, we’ll make sure your career shapes up in a way that’s right for you.

for different genres and get rocking around the real ale pump. n Keep healthy You’re going to be working long

shifts. Yes, microwavable burgers taste great, but they’re a quick ﬁx and aren’t the healthiest of options. If you eat and drink healthily, your body will thank you for it. Swap the energy drinks for water to stop those sleigh bell shakes. Don’t forget to stretch when you’re behind the bar – not full-on downward dog, but there’s no harm in keeping limber. n Stay calm When a Christmas party full of drunken elves come in, they’re already on Santa’s naughty list, so don’t despair – even if they spill drinks on your new Christmas jumper. Pour yourself a rein-beer after the shift, take a deep breath and remember – they’re getting coal in their stockings.

The Lowdown

December 2016

Hello

OVERHEARD ON CAMPUS

from The University Paper

So, what do you want to do after uni then? Honest answer: I want to explore the world, go swimming with sharks, write a book, become a scuba diving instructor in Thailand. Answer you give: Not sure yet. Finance, maybe. And when you ask your friends what they want to do, most of them already have it mapped out. “I’m currently learning Mandarin in my spare time so I can successfully launch a Chinese franchise of my company,” Dave the business management undergrad says. “I’m doing an internship flying jumbo jets with BA,” says Sofia the aeronautical engineer. Well, don’t panic. Not everyone knows what they want to do and even if they do,

they probably don’t realise the best way to get into it. That’s why, unlike every other monthly publication, December is not our Christmas edition, because let’s be honest, we know what happens at Christmas. Same thing every year – it’s the fat man in the red suit. Too many parties, too many calories. No, the December edition is our jobs special and we really have pulled out all the stops. We’ve got business advice from Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden, The Apprentice winner Dr Leah Totton and Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard Reed. Plus we take a look at the millionaires who have earned a tidy sum after leaving university. Elsewhere, we’ve got some huge interviews. We chat to

I’m breaking up with myself because you can’t have a relationship without trust and I for one certainly do not trust myself

Nottingham Trent University

I have my parents saved on my phone as “pay-rents”. Am I a bad person?

Leeds Beckett University

I like how the plagiarism section of the syllabus is the same for every assignment for every course.... almost like it was copy and pasted there

University of Birmingham

Born to do it: Craig David speaks to TUP

comeback king Craig David about throwing the perfect house party and south London’s most hyphenated artist, poet-rapper-playwrightauthor Kate Tempest. As always we will put a

spotlight on the best student music acts in the country – this month we talk to singer Amber Prothero. On top of all that we have sports results from up-anddown the country.

So, seeing as it is our jobs special, let’s get down to business. Much love

The TUP team

Does the word “neat” automatically become incorporated into your vocabulary when you become a lecturer

University of Bristol

Just saw a guy walk straight into a door and apologise to it

Swansea University

My relationship status has now changed from single to very single

Bath Spa University

With all the essays I have to write, a really bright part of me has decided to binge watch the entirety of Friends

Sheffield Hallam University

The trend of ripped jeans on guys has got to go

23-24 Margaret Street London W1W 8RU 020 7580 6419 www.unipaper.co.uk @TheUniPaper

Nottingham Trent University

Did you know that a candle flame smells exactly like burnt nose hair?

EDITORIAL

Birkbeck, University of London

Editor-in-chief: Sam Murray sam.murray@unipaper.co.uk Deputy editor: Clare Hardy clare@unipaper.co.uk Sub editor: Amy Denman amy@unipaper.co.uk Online sub editor: Tom Gellatly tom.g@unipaper.co.uk

A cup of tea is the perfect excuse to stop studying, eat a whole pack of biscuits, watch a Netflix series, go do a food shop and go to bed

University of Glasgow

The moment of reflection before the lecture starts... “Do I really need a degree?”

ADVERTISING

Director: Chris Moss chris@unipaper.co.uk

Cardiff Metropolitan University

When mum asks where all the money has gone – how to tell her you spent it all on green and booze...

DISTRIBUTION

Manager: Adam West adam.w@unipaper.co.uk

Edinburgh Napier University

DESIGN

Art editor: Matt Ward matt.ward@unipaper.co.uk

When you see a hot guy in the SU and then you see his lanyard = first year when you’re a third year. Cruel world

PUBLISHING

University of Leicester

jessjenkins.co.uk

The University Paper is published by The Uni Paper Ltd, at the address above, and printed by Newsquest, Oxford. We distribute 200,000 copies in 16 cities. We’re committed to putting errors right. Email corrections@unipaper.co.uk.

Comments are courtesy of social media app Yik Yak, available on iOS and Android

The Interview

I get fired up by Dragons’ Den investor Deborah Meaden gives her tips for staying calm in the hot seat

‘I

Daykin, who was 19 at the time. a lot more time than it looks to get He and his grandfather invented themselves together. F SOMETHING goes a specialised screw, which can ‘However they have got to get wrong, I beat myself up be used to fix almost anything to themselves together,’ she stresses. for about 30 seconds,’ a plasterboard wall, after trying ‘Because business doesn’t wait Deborah Meaden unsuccessfully to fit a blind in his for you – if you can’t get your laughs. ‘Then I say bedroom. act together that’s telling me in my head “well this is not very Daykin asked the Dragons something.’ constructive is it?” Sometimes I for £80,000 and used a radiator Meaden has invested more than actually say it out loud to myself.’ attached to plasterboard to £3million through Dragons’ Den It’s not quite what I’d expected demonstrate his product. since first appearing in 2003 – only from the business guru and ‘He was very good until Peter Peter Jones and Theo Paphitis, who Dragons’ Den investor, who is Jones stood up to test the fixing have been on the show longer, have known more for triggering other and pulled it off the plaster board,’ forked out more cash. people’s coping mechanisms than Meaden says. ‘I think one of the reasons I having to rely on her own. ‘At which point most people am very well suited to Dragons’ Her role on the BBC Two show would have crumbled, but it was Den is I’m a generalist, so I don’t is to maintain a steely face while actually the moment I thought consider myself an expert in she uncovers the pitfalls in nervous “gosh you’re really impressive” anything,’ she says. ‘I consider entrepreneurs’ business ideas. because he didn’t crumble. myself to be someone with very But as we talk about what makes a ‘Peter asked “why did that good judgement. I can also pick good pitch, Meaden is funny, down- happen?” and he said “let me have personalities that can work well to-earth and readily admits she’s no a look – yes, the plasterboard is with other personalities.’ stranger to mistakes of her own. damp”. I wonder if she has any tips The Brighton Technical College ‘It wasn’t his plasterboard, it was for holding it together during an graduate started out in business Dragons’ Den plasterboard, and interview. ‘Spend time thinking at 19, when she launched a glass it was left out in our corridors the about and understanding the and ceramics company supplying high-end shops including Harvey Unless you get somebody really arrogant on Dragons’ Nichols. Den – that gets our backs up – we give people a lot more Despite having sole rights to sell time than it looks to get themselves together her products, they started appearing elsewhere and as she did not have night before. It got damp and that’s business you’re going into,’ the money for a legal challenge, she what failed, not the GripIt fixing. Meaden says. ‘Think about the walked away from the business. ‘I looked at him and I thought “I culture around that because culture She tells me: ‘There is not a know a lot of experienced business is very important. successful person in the world who people who would have just fallen ‘It’s important to you that you hasn’t made big mistakes. over”. But he didn’t. He just get a job but it’s also important that ‘I always say the best people I explained, very logically and very you’re going for the right job. have worked with are the ones who calmly, why it wasn’t his fixing and ‘Every business has a character have made the biggest mistakes. it showed a level of confidence in – they’re either stuffy and grey or ‘They have also had the biggest his product.’ light-hearted. You should try and success because they try and they Meaden paid the full £80,000 get an essence of that.’ push the boundaries.’ Deakin asked for, in return for a She says being straightforward She says she is ‘not a great 25 per cent share in the business. helps with self-confidence. navel gazer’ and did not dwell Meaden laughs. ‘You know it’s ‘If someone asks me a on her performance as a young even better, because nobody else question I don’t know the entrepreneur. made him an offer and I did!’ answer to I tell the truth ‘I do consider things, but I don’t She says GripIt is now worth and say “I don’t know, spend hours looking back and I £10million. I will find out”, she think that’s one of my strengths,’ But not all pitches are as laughs. she adds. successful as the GripIt one. ‘Then you don’t ‘If something happens I look at it, The Den is notorious for its get this feeling I learn from it and I move on.’ intense and often awkward of “I’m going While talking to Meaden, her atmosphere, as many pitches turn to get it confidence shines through. out not to be what they seem. wrong, She says this is another desirable But Meaden insists the hopeful I’m attribute in business. entrepreneurs are given more slack going ‘Confidence is a fantastic thing,’ than it appears. to get she adds. ‘I really don’t mean ‘The thing you don’t see is some caught arrogance, there is a difference. of the pitches will take three hours out”. ‘Sometimes people think and you only see five to ten minutes ‘I’m behaving in an arrogant fashion of them,’ she says. just honest shows confidence and I think quite ‘If someone comes into the Den, and I think the opposite.’ all of the dragons are completely that’s To show the kind of confidence aware of the fact that this is a very a big she’s talking about, Meaden intense environment. I would say skill.’ recalls the pitch of one of the without exception unless you get youngest entrepreneur to secure an somebody really arrogant – that investment from the Den, Jordan gets our backs up – we give people

@ Amy Denman

For more interviews from the world of business, as well as music, sport and news updates, go to www.unipaper. co.uk

31 17

December October 2016

cool customers

and shares her top moments from the show as we talk success with business leaders

Apprentice winner: A&E prepared me for Lord Sugar’s grillings

@ Henry Edwards

ONTESTANTS on The Apprentice are not known for their words of wisdom. During this year’s series, we’ve had gems such as: ‘If I wanted to be like everyone else, I’d have waxed my monobrow,’ from Karthik Nagesan, and ‘I’m king of the truth bomb,’ from Dillon St Paul. And then we have Bianca Miller’s musings from 2014. ‘I regret not becoming a scientist so I could clone myself and be more successful in half the time,’ she said. But as I speak to Dr Leah Totton, winner of the BBC One show’s 2013 series, it’s clear her confidence is based on much more than just boardroom bravado. The Northern Irish doctor took a finance course while she was studying medicine at the University of East Anglia, as well as taking on jobs outside of uni. ‘I came top of my year so I really thrived,’ she tells me, adding that she didn’t find her medicine course too overwhelming. ‘I didn’t have to do a massive amount of work,’ she says. ‘I’m pretty academic and my memory is pretty good.’ In fact, the 28-year-old is so selfassured, I feel she probably could clone herself if she wanted to. It might come in handy, as she splits her working week between her cosmetic clinics in central

London and Loughton in Essex and busy NHS wards. ‘On the average day, I will wake up, do emails from 6am to 8am over a coffee, then work in the hospital 8am to 5pm and then do evening emails from 6pm to 8pm, then have downtime,’ she says. ‘It’s really important to do NHS work as well as private. ‘I spent a long time acquiring the medical knowledge I have. ‘I like the patients and it keeps my knowledge really fresh. ‘From Wednesday, I’m in the clinic full-time and it gives me a perspective, which I think is valuable. Sometimes you can get caught up in business.’ She says her medical background also prepared her for The Apprentice, where she faced grillings from Lord Sugar on the ideas at the core of her business and the business name she came up with – which was ‘skin’ spelt backwards. She also managed to silence the terrifying Claude Littner with the speed she spoke at. But she claims she did not need to develop any special tactics to stop her crumbling under the pressure. ‘I think it’s just my personality,’ she says. ‘I think having worked in A&E gives you a cool, measured composure because when you’re dealing with life and death emergencies you need to be very calm. I think it was one of the reasons I was successful.’

She spoke about the perception of women in business on This Morning earlier this year, when she said a woman dressed ‘inappropriately’, showing her cleavage, would not have a greater chance of getting a job at one of her clinics. But she said the idea that women dress in a ‘sexy’ style to get on in business was not one she had come across much. ‘What I see more is women who almost move away from femininity in a bid to compete with men in business,’ she said. ‘It’s not something I do and that’s never held me back. ‘Whether women are attracted to male-dominated trades because they have those traits anyway or they adopt them, it’s hard to know.’ Although she recognises there are ‘some very successful female entrepreneurs’ in the beauty sector, she is keen to help more women make it and mentors them. ‘I’m very passionate about empowering women,’ she adds. I ask how she inspires more confidence in women at work and her own self-assured manner pops up again. ‘I never struggled with confidence at all,’ she says. ‘I think the key is you’ve got to do something you feel qualified for and passionate about. ‘I’m a very confident businesswoman and doctor, but not

I didn’t have to do a massive amount of work at uni – I’m pretty academic and my memory is pretty good

a confident financier, for example. ‘I would never strive to go and start a business in a completely different sector. ‘My advice would be to equip yourself with high qualifications.’

Dr Leah Totton

Innocent founder: You need to find the red sock @ Amy Denman When speaking to the founder of Innocent Drinks the last subject I expect to arise is socks. However, as I ask Richard Reed for the best advice he has received he tells me: ‘This guy taught me to look for the red sock.’ Reed explains the red sock symbolises the one good thing when several things are going wrong in life. He says: ‘If there are 50 pairs of black socks and one red sock, when you open the drawer looking for black socks it’s all you’re going to see. But if you open that drawer and look for the

one red sock – even though there are 50 pairs of black socks – you’re going to find it.’ Reed attributes this abstract analogy to his career change, which led to Innocent being founded. He and two friends from the University of Cambridge started the company four years after they graduated. This was not the first business they set up together. Reed says: ‘When we were at university we were organising club nights.’ He explains his clubbing days started before uni and he noticed a revolution in nightclubs when house nights were introduced. But he tells me when he moved to Cambridge, house nights did not exist there. Reed and his friends saw a gap in the market and took the opportunity.

I’ve been lucky to be in a room with people who give good advice

Richard Reed

‘We were pretty much the first house night in Cambridge and it was wildly popular,’ he says. ‘ We realised we were having even more fun being the guys who organised it than the people at it.’ After 20 years the trio still work together. However, Reed decided to embark on his recent venture independently. His new book, If I Could Tell You Just One Thing, is full of advice from some of the world’s most remarkable people. He says: ‘Not everyone’s been as lucky as I have, to be in the same room with people who give good advice. The book is about trying to capture wisdom of our age.’ The book includes interviews with Simon Cowell and Andy Murray.

Meet the millionaires

From books to megabucks

These British millionaires made their fortunes after kick-starting their careers at university – could you and your mates be next on the list?

see all their seven albums reach No.1 in the UK.

@ Amy Denman O YOU dream of becoming a famous rockstar, actor or author but feel you should go for a more ‘sensible’ career, guaranteed to bring in a steady salary? You could always do both, like these super-rich graduates who followed their dreams.

Sir Chris Hoy

University of Edinburgh

Christopher Nolan UCL

Estimated net worth: £110million to £120million

before making his ﬁrst big-budget ﬁlm Insomnia, which brought in £92million worldwide. PICTURE: JULIA KENNEDY

The man behind Oscar winners Interstellar, The Dark Knight and Inception, Christopher Nolan, knew he wanted to become a ﬁlm director at an early age. He studied English literature at UCL and took advantage of the ﬁlm-making facilities there to create some of his earliest work, including shorts Tarantella and Larceny. He was also president of the UCLU Film Society. Like many successful people in the movie trade, Nolan was dealt a series of rejections

Cumberbatch, the actor best known to most as Sherlock Holmes found success after throwing himself into the subject he was passionate about. Cumberbatch studied drama at the University of Manchester and after graduating, went on to do a masters in classical acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) which also counts Chiwetel Ejiofor and David Oyelowo among its well-known alumni.

Chris Martin

UCL

Estimated net worth: £115million

If it wasn’t for this London

university, the world would never have heard the sound of Coldplay – as it was at UCL that Chris Martin formed the band with Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman. Martin stayed at UCL’s Ramsay Hall and graduated with a ﬁrst in Greek and Latin while forming a band who would go on to

Adventure Of A Lifetime: Chris Martin (centre) with Coldplay bandmates Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman

Sir Chris is the second most decorated Olympic cyclist of all time, with one silver and six gold medals and was said to have raked in £10million worth of deals after the London 2012 Games. The Scot studied maths and physics at the University of St Andrews for two years before switching to applied sports science at the University of Edinburgh, which he graduated from in 1999. He was originally inspired to cycle by Stephen Spielberg’s ﬁlm ET and was a member of the City Of Edinburgh Racing Club.

Benedict Cumberbatch

University of Manchester Estimated net worth: £12million

You don’t have to be called Chris to make millions after uni – even sporting the name Benedict

EL James

University of Kent Estimated net worth: £50million

Millionaire men: Christopher Nolan, Chris Hoy and Benedict Cumberbatch

In recent years everyone has become familiar with the sight of this author’s naughty novels being read on buses, trains and beside pools across the globe – there really has been no escaping Fifty Shades Of Grey. Raunchy writer Erika Mitchell – known by her pen name EL James – studied history at the University of Kent. After graduating, Mitchell worked as a studio manager’s assistant at the National Film and Television

50 HIGH STREET, LEICESTER LE1 5YN TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY. VISIT RUSH.CO.UK

TOP LONDON SALON CHOOSES LEICESTER AS FIRST EAST MIDLANDS LOCATION Leicester STUDENT OFFER.indd 1

09/08/2016 16:48

December 2016

School. Her career path changed dramatically when she began to write raunchy fan ﬁction for the Twilight novels. She seems to have unwittingly tapped into the dirty minds of almost every woman in the world (and some men). All of a sudden, it became acceptable to read erotica in public. Mitchell’s trilogy, which she describes as her midlife crisis, earned her a top spot on the Forbes list of the highestearning authors in 2013. Just goes to show a dirty mind is worth indulging in from time to time.

a year to be a perk of the course. Four years after graduating from Exeter with a degree in French and classics, she came up with the idea for Harry Potter while travelling on a crowded train from Manchester to London.

Kate Garraway Bath Spa University

Estimated net worth: £1.6million

TV presenter Kate Garraway studied English and history at Bath College of Higher Education, now Bath Spa University. The familiar face of British television has presented GMTV, The Biggest Loser, Daybreak and now sits with Ben Sheppard and Piers Morgan on the Good Morning Britain sofa. Her career began in 1994 when she worked as a production journalist, reporter and news presenter on the south edition of ITV News Central.

Ruth Wilson

University of Nottingham Estimated net worth: £2.5million

English actress Ruth Wilson is best known for her roles in The Affair and Luther, but also has a number of ﬁlm roles under her belt, including parts in Saving Mr Banks and The Lone Ranger. Wilson studied history at the University of Nottingham and got involved in student drama at The Nottingham New Theatre. Like Benedict Cumberbatch, she studied at LAMDA after uni.

JK Rowling

University of Exeter Estimated net worth: £584million

The story of Harry Potter and his wizarding world came to this author a few years after she graduated.

Richard Curtis University of Oxford

Estimated net worth: £24million

Seven books, eight ﬁlms and a raft of spinoffs and prequels later, it’s made her one of the world’s richest authors, with a personal wealth of £584million. Rowling wanted to study English literature at the

University of Exeter, but her parents wanted her to study a vocational course, or a ‘useful’ modern language, so she opted for French. Despite wishing she had stood her ground, she found living in Paris for

Q&A: NUTRITION STARTUP BOSS Many former students’ money-making success started as an idea at uni. Oliver Dickinson came up with the idea for his first business in his halls at Plymouth University. After making graduate recruitment company We Connect Students a success and selling the business, Oliver founded Wow Food And Drinks with a friend he met at Plymouth. Products include a drink made with nutrient-rich chia seeds – the first of its kind in Europe – which is stocked at high-end shops across Europe, including Waitrose, Harrods and Selfridges. Here he gives some advice to students thirsty for a successful business. Be inspired by your idea

You should never create a business which is just motived by you wanting to make money because it will never work out. You often hear about a lot of entrepreneurs who will sit down and they will try to work out: ‘Can I make money out of this?’ The business ideas which really work are when you have an idea which you are passionate about. The leading thing is you’ve got to be passionate. The people who get involved with the business will look for that too – that is what they will look for first and foremost. They will ask themselves: ‘Does this person really believe in what they’re doing or are they just punching numbers into a calculator?’ Don’t be shy to share your ideas

I would recommend having a co-founder to do the whole thing with. I think for a start it makes the

his career while at the University of Oxford. He joined the Experimental Theatre Club, where he met Mr Bean actor Rowan Atkinson. He graduated from Oxford with a first in English language and literature and after a breakthrough performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was commissioned by the BBC to co-write a radio series with uni mate Rowan, called The Atkinson People. His first film success was with Four Weddings And A Funeral, which was followed by Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Love Actually.

Thirst for work: Oliver runs a drinks company whole experience more enjoyable – you don’t want to be sat in an office until 3am by yourself. Also, having that sounding board is immensely powerful and useful. Choose investors wisely

Be particularly careful when choosing investors and who you bring into the business. As soon as you bring investors in the whole thing becomes something totally different. If you’ve brought the wrong investors in, it can totally ruin your business idea. If they’ve got a different vision for what you want or if they don’t behave in the way you want them to behave, it can really ruin the journey so you really have to be careful when choosing investors. Planning is key

You see a lot of entrepreneurs who don’t plan ahead. They sort of work day to day. But really you have got to have a well thought out 12 month plan of objectives and goals and

work out how you’re going to get there. Also you need to plan for yourself to kick things off, because if the business kicks off and starts to go well, you can always lose sight of that success. It is really important to sit back and tick boxes and say: ‘Oh yeah we succeeded in that’ or ‘ we didn’t succeed here’. Don’t deny your weaknesses

Do not be afraid of your downfalls and your weaknesses. Investors like somebody who can say: ‘Look I’ve got this passion, but I know I can’t do this and I know my weaknesses lie here.’ They can then help by saying: ‘I’ve got contacts here’ or ‘I’ve got some experiences there’. But if you try and present yourself as the perfect business person, it won’t work. I always see it when I watch The Apprentice and they paint themselves as the dogs b******s of business people and that just doesn’t work – you’ve got to be open about your weaknesses.

The mind behind Harry Potter: University of Exeter graduate JK Rowling

When you think of the ﬁlms Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones’s Diary, you may well imagine nights curled up on the sofa with ice cream and all your favourite girl mates – whatever your gender. But for those who did’t know, the mind behind those cheeky rom-coms belongs to a man. Screenwriter Richard Curtis began

Sacha Baron Cohen University of Cambridge

Estimated net worth: £104million

Screen stars: Ruth Wilson, Kate Garraway and Sacha Baron Cohen

Long before his creations Ali G and Borat saw the light of day, Sacha Baron Cohen appeared in Fiddler on the Roof and Cyrano de Bergerac for the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club. After graduating from university with a 2:1 in history, he worked as a fashion model and trained as a clown before creating Ali G, a rudeboy from Staines in Surrey whose famous interviewees included the Beckhams and Donald Trump. Although he rarely talks about his private life, it’s likely to be more glam than Ali G’s, as he shares his fortune with ﬁlmstar wife Isla Fisher.

IT’S HERE!

0 . 2 N O I S R E V 1/2 adThe New

Unipaper Website

unipaper.co.uk

In England, 51 people an hour are diagnosed with an STI. Are you one of them?

Don't guess. Be sure and check yourself for STIs. Order a self-colleccon test from ratrust.org.uk/shop

The Interview

We’re in a tough time for students Wordsmith Kate Tempest takes a look at the state of the uni system

@ John Shaw

HE first time south London wordsmith, Kate Tempest, came into my life was (let’s say for the lawyers’ benefit) when I was 18 drinking in a one of New Cross’ many fine watering holes. I’m not one to remember a night, but I do remember Tempest’s performance. She was different from the generic indie bands which filled the stages at the time. She was small, scruffy and possessed a way with words like no-one I’d heard. Her passion was astonishing, so memorable I still recollect the otherwise unremarkable night. Now, as we chat on the phone just after the release of her album Let Them Eat Chaos and before her December UK tour, we’re talking about that period – a time before she was labelled Britain’s brightest rapper-poet-author-playwright. ‘It was pretty relentless and constant and unforgiving but it was an important time, I suppose, for just working out how it felt to be on stage in different places,’ she says. I wonder out loud whether it was around the time she was studying English literature at Goldsmiths, just down the road from the pub where I first saw her perform. She’s not sure about timings so we move on to the period after her stint at BRIT School but before university, in which she enrolled in part-time evening classes. ‘I really enjoyed that,’ she says. ‘I found the discussions were really democratic. It was kind of older people and professional people (when I say professional people I mean people who had jobs). I learnt about how exciting it is to learn. ‘I got access to the library which blew my mind – I could just sit in there all night. It connected all these

KATE ET MPEST

December 2016

ON TOUR Dec 1 Glasgow, The Art School Dec 3 Sheffield, Plug Dec 4 Birmingham, O2 Institute Room 2 Dec 5 Norwich, The Waterfront Dec 7 Manchester, O2 The Ritz Dec 8 Bristol, O2 Academy Dec 11 London, Roundhouse For tickets visit www. katetempest. co.uk

unused connections in my brain.’ From there she went on to study full-time at Goldsmiths, but her enjoyment didn’t follow. ‘It was full of people who were too cool for school, who didn’t really want to contribute to seminars,’ she says, sounding disappointed. ‘Suddenly I felt I was extremely uncool for wanting to get to the bottom of why a particular poem had lasted as long as it had. ‘I remember once in a seminar I didn’t know how to say Don Quixote. I said Don Quicks-oat, because I didn’t f*****g know, and all these people laughed. I just felt stupid.’ As I speak to the 30-year-old from Brockley, it’s easy to see why she was disappointed. She has an undeniable, probably inherent, love of words. When she answers one of my questions, she will take a little pause to think then begin, slowly at first, but her intensity builds until eventually she comes to her finish. Unlike most people, she rarely trips on her phrases or stops to rethink about what direction her thoughts are going in. That’s until we speak about fee increases for students. I ask whether she would have gone to university if the prices were £9,000 a year. She exhales deeply and explains her night classes were around £600 per year – which was manageable with a job. ‘There’s no way you can casually raise up £9,000 a year,’ she says, exasperated. She stops and attempts to think of a solution but all she says is: ‘Like how? You’re not going to be working because you’re just beginning to go into what could be your career. I don’t know…’ Sounding downhearted she adds: ‘It seems like quite a precarious moment for students because we are constantly being told we are over-educating people and it doesn’t mean anything. ‘There’s no jobs and fees are going up. But I think there’s so much to be said for surrounding yourself with ideas and learning and people that have different and similar opinions to you. ‘I think it’s a very important environment for somebody with imagination and intellect to be in. It’s troubling that it’s so expensive.’ She’s in an excellent position to comment having also been a visiting fellow at University College London. Speaking about that time she says: ‘I went in and did a couple of seminars with the students and just reminded them to engage passionately with language. ‘I think they were a bit confused but I think they got it. I think a couple needed to hear that and it’s probably the same for a few [of your readers]. ‘We can feel a bit sheepish for that passion but it’s extremely important to remember to read with passion.’ I come off the phone feeling reinvigorated to write. I haven’t forgotten my first meeting with Tempest and I doubt I’ll forget my most recent.

The Interview

@ Amy Denman

LICKER Than Your Average is not just an album title for Craig David – it’s a personality trait. He is one of the most alluring but humble artists I’ve interviewed, even as he tells me about the Miami house parties that fuelled his comeback.

From debut album Born To Do It to his latest, Following My Intuition, David’s music spans generations, with requests for his early hits still being made at nightclub DJ booths up and down the country. ‘That’s probably the most surreal and exciting thing that’s happening at the moment,’ David says. ‘Some of those songs were so big and they touched so many people. ‘I would love to say I had some master plan for all this but it really is something that has completely thrown me for six.’ Speaking of throwbacks, I tell David how my mum and I would blast Born To Do It in her car when I was younger. His reply is

December 2016

The comeback king talks freestyling, house parties and uniting the generations

they can invite their mates and everyone who comes through this door is VIP. There’s drinks on tap and food. Everyone’s going to get a little shout out on the microphone so everyone feels like a little star in the place”.’ Not content with their host’s

One minute your mum’s playing the music, then you discover the newer music, then we do an interview together – I just love it he says. ‘It would be “come into the VIP area,” and people just got a little too excited about it, because they were in the VIP area and there was a red rope dividing the dancefloor and this little area. ‘People were just getting a bit too elitist about it, whereas I just was like “you know what, this is nonsense,” because to be honest, being inside this area is so stuffy and crowded and drinks are poured all over you. It’s not what it’s really made out to be. ‘So the whole wave of house parties came about because I was just saying “listen, I’m going to throw my own house party, I’m going to invite my friends and

better-than-your-average DJing skills, the guests started to demand he sing as well. ‘People kept saying “you gotta sing one of your tunes”, because at first I would never do that,’ he says. ‘I was just playing other people’s tunes and adlibbing and freestyling.’ So as he’s now a house party pro, I wonder if he can pass on any tips. ‘Even if it’s ten friends in your house, if you’re playing the right music, you’ve got the right drinks going on and it’s the right energy, that’s all a house party is,’ he says. ‘All I’ve done is do that and it’s crazy for me when I’m in front of 20,000 people at Glastonbury, thinking “this is what I was doing with my mates with ten people having shots” so it’s no different

to me but it’s just crazy how it’s connected.’ That may be the case, but his gatherings have led to big things for the DJ. A Radio 1Xtra appearance led to a collaboration with rapper Big Narstie on the single When The Bassline Drops and a new record deal came shortly afterwards, before Following My Intuition entered the UK chart at the top. ‘I was totally overwhelmed,’ David says. ‘It was surprising because I was really excited about putting out this album, in a very similar way to when I put the first album, Born To Do It, out. ‘There was no pressure in terms of when I needed to get the album ready. It was so natural the way the songs came around, so I was excited that people were going to be able to hear new music. ‘But then to see it holding at number one throughout the week and of all people Greg James – who has been championing me at Radio 1 forever – to be able to announce it live on air was crazy.’ David kept it low key while celebrating the album’s success though. ‘I love live performance,’ he says. ‘So I was just resting up and making sure I was 110 per cent for performing rather than completely turning up and losing myself.’

I witnessed how much David puts into his performances when I watched his album launch at HMV in London’s Oxford Street earlier this year. Not content with the billed three songs, he finished off the performance with an impromptu freestyle, saying he didn’t feel he’d given us a show until he added a little something extra. ‘I just sort of felt that when I was doing the few songs people were just getting into it,’ he says. ‘Because I was used to doing an hour and a half set, I was like “I’ve gotta do something”. ‘Also, I like keeping the musicians on their toes. I was like “let’s do a little freestyle and see what you’ve got here because yeah, you may have rehearsed those

show, before going viral. ‘A lot of the songs literally start from freestyling,’ David adds. His belief in doing things organically can lead to a difference of opinion while making records. ‘The producers are more inclined to have the track and everything already together,’ he says. ‘I’m like “let me get in the booth and put my headphones on and [then] play me it and record me”. The first two or three minutes that come out of my mouth – usually there is a good 70 per cent of it that is the melody. ‘I feel like rather than sitting down and making it a science experiment and doing the maths of a song, it should be a vibe.

I feel like rather than sitting down and making it a science experiment and doing the maths of a song, it should be a vibe songs, but let’s actually do some live music”. ‘I love all that stuff because it makes it feel spontaneous and real.’ David is no stranger to freestyling – his album track 16 began that way, on MistaJam’s Radio 1Xtra

‘I love the freestyle of it because I think that’s where all the magic is.’ That’s not to say he has any less of a connection to DJing – he was touring his hometown, Southampton, as well as Bournemouth and Portsmouth before his first ever album. ‘It was such an important element

of my song writing,’ he says. ‘I would take the songs from the studio, play them to a crowd and no one knew it was from me. ‘I could test the song out to see what the reaction was.’ David tells me how he enjoys the freedom of DJing and being able to remix his own work. ‘I think over the years when I’d kind of left that part behind,’ he says. ‘As soon as I brought it back into the mix again it brought everything back to it being brand new, like I did with Born To Do It, and also it allows me to flex differently. ‘I can do some of the remixes of some of my songs or play an instrumental and freestyle over it. ‘It’s given me that balance of the new stuff and still being able to do the old stuff and love that as well.’

26|Your Night

Enjoyed a big night in Leicester? We have all the pictures from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hottest nightspots... see if you can spot yourself

December 2016

Musician of the month

December 2016

I love my time on the stage Each month we introduce you to the best student bands and artists from the UK’s campuses. This time we chat to Amber Prothero, who studies at the University of Bristol

@ Tom Gellatly How would you describe your music? My songs have been a mix of pop, blues and maybe even country. However I haven’t truly discovered my genre yet because I like to experiment when I write original songs.

I find the things which upset or hurt me the most make the best songs

Amber Prothero

Who are your major inﬂuences? Carole King, Eva Cassidy and Newton Faulkner. Who are your favourite artists right now? JP Cooper, Ella Eyre, Lily Allen, Astrid S and Paolo Nutini. If you could do a collaboration with one artist, who would you pick and why? I would love to collab with JP Cooper. I saw him live at the Trinity Centre in Bristol and he has an

For more from Amber and other student bands, go to www.unipaper. co.uk

venue and I’ve seen so many great artists play there. What are you working on right now? I’m working on an EP which I co-wrote with some friends. I’m releasing my ﬁrst single, Something In The Water, in November or December. I will release another four songs in the upcoming months. I’m excited to see what everyone thinks because we’ve been working on the EP for two years.

incredible voice. His style is quite similar to mine too. I think our voices would work nicely together. What are the main topics of your songs? I often write about relationships with people close to me. If something is bothering me, writing usually helps. I ﬁnd the things which upset or hurt me the most make the best songs.

What do you enjoy doing outside of music? I enjoy playing with the mixed lacrosse team at university and exercising. I also love to sit down and watch a good thriller.

Where do you want to be in ten years’ time? I would like to be signed to a label, touring and to have released two albums. Although I love recording, I get a buzz from playing to a live audience. The crowd interaction brings out the best in me. Give us one place you’d like to play live? I would love to play at the O2 Academy Bristol – it’s such a great

No alter ego: Amber Prothero

If you had to choose one philosophy to live by, what would it be? I think my philosophy is every time I get on stage, my music truly reﬂects who I am as a person. I know many artists create an alter ego, but that isn’t for me. I also believe the type of music I sing needs to be a reﬂection of my own life and experiences.