FRESH 2015

FREE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2015

FRESH KREPT AND KONAN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Interview: A few pints loosens YUSU President’s tongue

Head underneath the sheets as York students tell us about their sex lives

Freshers Guide: societies clubbing sport food survival guide

FREE SHOT

Here at York Vision we bring the student population the latest news, features, comment and sports news from around campus. Our news stories have made national press and our alumni have gone on to work for organisations such as the ones pictured below. We are always on the lookout to add to our family,.

Whether you want to write, take photographs, design our content, work on our website, manage our funds, or help us with marketing and advertising, get involved. We will be holding elections in Week 2.

Find us on Facebook, Twitter or visit yorkvision.co.uk for more information.

JOIN OUR TEAM: Editorial Team Editors Thomas Butler-Roberts Jonny Long Managing Director Peter Bunce Contributors Becca Alderson Markella Apergi Previn Desai Barto Joly de Lotbiniere Beni Nwgamah Selina Pope Lorenzo Wong

ELECTIONS WEEK 2

Welcome to FRESH 2015 Hello there and welcome to York! All of us here at York Vision sincerely hope that three years from now you will look back fondly upon your time here. In this magazine, we have endeavoured to balance informative editorial with a platform for voices that we think are important to be heard.

Everyone at our university has a story to tell, more than we could ever hope to fit between our pages. Highlights include an exclusive interview with critically-acclaimed grime duo Krept and Konan, as well as uncovering campus rapper, Jide Cliffe, just for you.

We wanted to use this magazine as a showcase for the kind of things you can get involved in with us.

We’re excited to meet you all at the Freshers’ Fair.

Jonny & Tom

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FRESH 2015

“Racial integration is more challenging than the glossy P15 prospectuses indicate.”

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“The thing I was most nervous about was others’ awareness or perception of my disability.”

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Front

4 Fresher FAQs 5 Barto Joly de Lotbiniere Welcome to York 7 In the know The past year on campus. Plus York trivia 11 Big names on campus The top ten people you need to know

Features

12 Let’s talk about sex Advice on consent, the walk of shame, and closing your curtains 30 Arrivals International students share their experiences of coming from abroad to study 32 Student cooking challenge Should doner lasagne be a thing?

Experience

8 Living in halls The randomness of the accomodation lottery 15 BME student “I was once told my achievement of gaining a summer internship at a presigious bank was due to their need to fill ethnicity quotas” 18 Overachiever Beating the sacrificial triangle: the secret to a good work/life balance 27 Coping with disability at university “The old cliché of reinventing yourself at uni actually worked wonders for me in terms of living with disability”

Fresher Guides 14 Survival Guide 23 Food 24 Societies 25 Sport 26 Clubbing

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Interviews

9 Ben Leatham Debunking the student politician stereotype 18 Krept and Konan The ‘Freak of the Week’ duo on trying to break America and how they write their raps 28 Jide Cliffe Did you know that York has a burgeoning rap scene?

34 Graduates Life after York

Back

35 Bucket list Everything you need to accomplish before you graduate

FAQs P4 FRESH 3

FRESHER FAQs

What is the best way to make friends on the first day?

“Be yourself” is the advice that your mum or possibly an American television programme might give you, but it is true. The first night is the time to just get along with people. Simply taking an interest in someone will endear them to you, as they are bound to feel just as nervous as you about making new friends.

Is What it easy to about sharing manage a student a bathroom and kitchen loan? with other people?

The most important thing Sharing a bathroom and kitchen with is to find a line where your your strange new housemates in a ratio propensity to save or that seems miraculous if you don’t spend spend doesn’t impact hours queueing for the shower is not a Jesus your enjoyment of fishes and loaves situation. Saying that, treatuniversity life. ing your facilities in halls with a modicum What of respect will impress upon the people is the best you live with that you are a well-adjusted way to cope with livWhat if human being. As entertaining as pasing on your own?

I don’t like the sive aggressive notes demanding Personally I cherished the indecourse? cleanliness are, don’t be that pendence. Being able to eat two The quality of modules and housemate.

Cornettos and a cheesestring for lecturers can be quite disparate: dinner at 1:30am is an indescribable give your course a chance and don’t feeling. However, be sure not to isolate give up on it immediately. There must yourself in the absence of family and have been something that attracted you long-term friends. Dedicate time What is to the course in the first place! Once and effort to cementing new it actually like you are enrolled, movement to other friendships and making the living in halls? courses is easier than you would most out of your time at Living in such close proximthink. Departments are also easuniversity. ity to lots of other students is ily contactable should you great, you don’t feel like you’re wish to discuss your What living alone when you have maybe options. is freshers’ 14 other people on your floor and week like? with three other floors of the same Freshers’ week can be a maelnumber. Living in halls feels strom of excess alcohol, awkwardsimilar to a residential school ness and small-talk, all tied up in a trip but no one tells you barrage of people and new experiencto go to bed. es.Within a couple of days you will be on your knees, but don’t let that stop you from throwing yourself into the experiIs ence, no matter how daunting it seems. it easy to The effort you put in during your adjust from the first week will pay dividends for level of work expected at the next three years of your A-level to university level? time here in York.

In the first year, and first term in particular, you are eased relaWhat if tively comfortably into uniI don’t like the versity-level study, although people in my classes? subjects inevitably vary in Unlike school, most of your their intensity of work. friendships wont be conceived in lecture theatres or seminar rooms, although that’s not to say you won’t befriend some study buddies.

Your college and the societies that you sign up to are where a lot of people find common ground and form social circles.

???

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WELCOME TO YORK O

WHY YOU’VE CHOSEN THE BEST UNIVERSITY IN BRITAIN

kay, I know what you are thinking, an overstatement of a title right? Well, that is something the University of York is not: an overstatement. Arriving to a concrete jungle of a campus populated mostly by wildfowl, there’s no ivy or wood panelled dining rooms here, oh no…

After the living hell of A Levels and the simultaneous, tortuous process of selecting a university, you can now enjoy yourself. You’ll be pleased to know that for most subjects it’s quite a challenge to not get a 2:1 (and it’s not impossible to get a first), which is sufficient to sign your soul away to some graduate employer at the end of your three years. You can kick back and relax until some point in third year, unless for some unknown reason you chose either Chemistry or PPE. Yes, employment is important, and yes, the standard of learning is important, but these three years should be about more than just that. It should be about meeting friends who will stay with you for the rest of your life, about learning to look after yourself independently, about finding skills and traits you did not know you had.

University is not simply an employability school. You must allow yourself to have fun. The first term of first year is designed for doing just that – hell, the whole of first year is designed for that.

As you will know by now,York has a college system. It isn’t just a vain imitation of Oxbridge – they actually serve a purpose. The colleges mean you aren’t just plonked in a halls of residence and

left to your own devices.

College events, especially at the start, help you meet more people. College sport teams mean that if you are God-awful at football, then you can still play competitively. The system is not that prevalent after first year when you can choose to leave it behind, but most people find they don’t want to.

Then there are the societies. At first glance, it appears as if York has far too many societies, widely ranging from Pokémon to Pole Exercise. All societies are hungry for new blood and eager to get freshers involved.

The campus is, as I mentioned before, not easy on the eyes. However, the scuzzy concrete blocks do soon become your scuzzy concrete blocks.

As a city boy, I was sceptical of selfcontained campuses, but then in first year I soon learned the benefits of my lecture hall being mere seconds from my bed.

The University may appear a bit of a maze at the beginning having evolved naturally, starting out as a small collection of buildings in the marshy grounds of a stately home.

There are so many nooks and crannies that you can hide yourself away in.

For example, there are four bars on the main campus and another on Heslington East. If you’re lucky enough to

“University is not simply an employability school”

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be in Derwent College you’ve got two: D Bar and The Courtyard. It gets even better when you find out the cheapest pint lies around the £2.30 mark.

On the subject of the city centre itself (known locally as ‘Town’), you’ve really drawn a winner here. Unlike other towns in the North which have seen better times, York is doing rather well, thanks in part to some canny tourism marketing. The streets are bursting with posh tea rooms, cute gift shops and boutique cupcake emporiums. Perfect for taking your Mum, Nan or girlfriend when they come to visit (not necessarily all at the same time, but it would save a lot time and effort wouldn’t it?) The clubs aren’t on the scale of the larger cities but you don’t really notice once you get sufficiently sloppy, and at around four pound entry it’s quite reasonable.

Apparently there is a pub for every day of the year, so there is a challenge and a half, for those not feeling the clubbing vibe. There is no denying York is truly a beautiful city. There are few other places in England where you could stumble back from a night out and gaze up drunkenly at floodlit Gothic architecture.

So to recap, you will do well with York thanks to its college system, unpretentious tradition, compact size and value-for-money nightlife. Just remember to a go to a lecture or two in the first term, just to keep your hand in.

“There is no denying York is truly a beautiful city”

by Barto Joly de Lotbiniere

FRESH 5

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R

ead no further for all the trivia you could ever need to break awkward silences during Freshers’ Week.

2.

It is considered bad luck to climb the Minster before you graduate.

TIMELINE

Get up to speed with recent goings-on at the University.

1.

A pirate was elected President of YUSU in 2008 after the biggest turnout any student union in the country has ever seen.

The joke candidate, Mad Cap’n Tom Scott, kept up a buccaneering accent for his tenure. Scott went on to be a television presenter after running (unsuccessfully) for the City of London and Westminster parliamentary seats.

Shiver me timbers!

September 2015

Derwent and Langwith Colleges celebrate their 50th anniversary.

July 2015

Popular student haunt Willow closes its doors for the last time. The odd discocum-Chinese restaurant was famous for its cheap drinks and dubious hygiene.

April 2015

4.

We have the largest plastic-bottomed lake in Europe.

6.

3.

One of the many societies at the university you can join includes the Fetish Society. Fetsoc deals with everything from consent to how to using rope in the bedroom.

According to the society, it’s where people can “meet up and be kinky”.

5.

York has never won University Challenge, but we were runners-up in 2011.

Jimi Hendrix played at the University in 1967. Langwith Dining Hall was then renamed as Hendrix Hall.

8.

Students here guzzle an average of ten pints of lager a week according to a survey which put York first in a national university drinking table. Your round then?

7.

York student James White pleaded guilty to animal cruelty in 2013 after he fried his flatmate’s hamster. The cruel politics student was reportedly so drunk, he had no recollection of the incident.

9.

Previous York students include Harriet Harman...

February 2015

After a frantic search by bungling YUSU Sabbatical Officers, the societies mascot, Soctopus, is recovered. The orange toy octopus went missing during the YUSU Elections Debate, barely a month after being introduced.

Embarrassing!

October 2014

10.

11.

...Harry Enfield...

...Anthony Horowitz...

12.

13.

14.

...Peter Hitchens...

...Jung Chang...

...and Greg Dyke.

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York Vision reveals rampant staff spending of over £1 million on expenses which included four-star luxury hotel stays and football tickets.

15.

York has the highest density of ducks out of any university in the UK, with one source suggesting there are 56 ducks per acre.

Vile tweets posted by a private Twitter account run by members of the University hockey team are exposed by York Vision. One of the many racist and sexist posts described how a member loved “stabbing black people”. Two members of the team were later banned from YUSU.

IN THE KNOW

August 2015

Malcolm Grant, the University’s new chancellor starts his first day on the job.

The controversial choice was caught on camera calling for higher tuition fees.

June 2015

The annual music festival, Big D, sees Pendulum play to a sellout crowd in Derwent College.

April 2015

York win Roses for the 26th time in the annual tournament’s 50 year history. England football manager Roy Hodgson opens Roses, the largest inter-university sporting competition in Europe. This year, the Lancaster rivals are at home.

November 2014

The University reveal plans for a nightclub on campus which would see squash courts on Heslington West renovated at a cost of around £200,000. Unfortunately, they shelved the plans half a year later, citing cost issues.

September 2014 Freshers move into the latest addition to York’s collegiate system, Constantine College. The Heslington East-based college houses 621.

June 2014

A shocked student claims they bought maggot-infested broccoli from a campus store. The anonymous veg-eater, said they noticed it when preparing it to be cooked.

FRESH 7

A BAND OF UNLIKELY BROTHERS AND SISTERS. Peter Bunce had no idea what was going on in his freshers week, so he advises you to strap in and watch the unfolding of the hand that you have been dealt.

Y

ou did your research, scoured the blogs and finally entered your incredibly well thought out preferences for accommodation only to be sent a lifeless email dumping you, unceremoniously, in your fifth choice – but what a better time you’ll have for that pleasure.

What a dull and miserable crowd you would be part of if you got your first choice and all others like you had been granted their wish. Without the disappointment and sniping which comes with the first encounter of your draughty end of corridor room in the arse end of nowhere, you’d be immediately thrust into the miserable platitudes of fresher’s small talk.

you watched on aghast and ungrateful will have an untold influence on your fresher’s week and the time beyond.

You could have been placed 2 floors below, 4 rooms along or in another college altogether and your experience would have been entirely different, not better nor worse necessarily but entirely different. In your accommodation alone a multitude of factors, completely beyond your control, have provided the foundations for the next three years of your life.

There is no matchmaking algorithm that place perfectly matched personalities together only the weary decisions of a lowly college administrator with marginally more interesting things to be getting on with. Such chance and the vast success of the friendships that ensue from the vat of testosterone and fear that is halls is a testament to the ability of us all to adapt and to understand. That is not to say that we are all to get along, forgive and accept all our flat mates but it is to say that among the often fractious cacophony of personalities there will arise some most fantastic friendships.

“The accommodation lottery stretches beyond colleges to floors and to rooms.”

I will not bore you with my own miserable platitudes of the joys of new people and experiences beyond your comfort zone but I can say that the random lottery of an outdated system which threw me into a corridor of randomers whose choices, backgrounds and subjects were wildly different from my own was a fantastically lucky result of what I saw to be an incredible let down at the time.

The randomness of the accommodation lottery stretches beyond colleges to floors and to rooms. It is these thrown together crowds, these chance room allocations, as I am sure some of you have already realised, which will come to shape your entire University experience. Who’s next door, who happens to share your kitchen, what time you arrived and which unlucky STYC had to lug your amp or your twee little house plant up 3 flights of stairs while

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ise it just yet but you are bound to your floor with a strange sense of loyalty, you might not like everybody indeed you may have the tutmost contempt for some of your flatmates but though they are shit flatmates when people ask you they are ‘your’ shit flatmates.

You’ll mould yourselves into groups; there’ll be crossovers I’m sure but the general makeup of cliques will soon be established. These cliques will be unlike the ones you had at school, it’s impossible to find five other edgy kids in retro adidas jackets or a couple of insecure guys to stroke your already inflated ego so you’ll have to, in the meantime at least, be part of a band of unlikely brothers.

Never again will such a diverse and chance number of reasons coincide to give you an equivalent of fresher’s week. I have focussed on your accommodation allocations but fresher’s week is a cauldron of unexplainable

“Freshers week is a cauldron of unexplainable meetings and experiences” meetings and experiences in which you are a minor and uncontrollable player. What time your taxi leaves for town, which stall at the Fresher’s Fair and at what time you squeeze your way to it, whether your STYCS play football or netball are just a few of the vast number of things which will influence your first few weeks and more often than not the rest of your time at Uni. Your cards have been dealt now it’s time to play.

You’ll have already met many other over exuberant freshers and formed an instant critique but they may have ended up living in the room next door.

They could turn out to be an exaggerated version of your own imagined persona or they could be a delightful character who’ll guide you through the many difficulties of fresher’s week but either way they are your next door neighbour for the year - love ‘em or hate ‘em you can’t, try though you might, ignore them. You may not real-

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A PINT WITH OUR PRESIDENT We caught up with our Student Union President, Ben Leatham, for a relaxed chat over drinks

“I

feel like Nigel Farage meeting a journo in a pub with a pint.”

Ben Leatham messaged us to let us know that he was on his way for the obligatory, pint in hand, man of the people, photo op. He entered the pub in true Farage style with a genial enthusiasm and sporting a broad smile.

It has been a swift and conventional rise to the top of York’s political life for what would have once seemed a very unlikely student politician. Ben arrived at York from Hong Kong, fresh-faced at the age of just 17, but quickly threw himself into college life – something

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he implores all freshers to do. “Embracing the Derwent community, becoming part of a group of like-minded people” was what allowed Ben to take the plunge and join the JCRC as RAG Rep in his fresher year. Ben is a vociferous champion of the college system seeing it is as a fantastic “start to university where you are immediately introduced to 2nd and 3rd years who can introduce you to college and university life.”

In his second year, Ben enjoyed a successful period as Chair of Derwent College. He improved all the events

and helped bring the end of year event, Big D, back into profit. All of his endeavours culminated in an Award for Outstanding Leadership from YUSU. Even greater still, as a sign of enduring loyalty to the college, he got a tattoo of the Derwent crest on his arse which he fondly remembers revealing to over 400 people at last year’s Christmas Formal.

He thought his service to the University was over now that he had done his time as Chair of Derwent, but he recounts a hungover morning where he “had a vision of a large and familiar

FRESH 9

QUICKFIRE Q & A What is your best memory of your time at Uni? Last year’s Derwent Christmas Formal where I showed my bottom, and my new tattoo, to over 400 people.

clock, in the centre of the lake on campus” and he knew that Big Ben had come to York – “Big Ben’s time had come”. After this biblical vision he gathered together a band of disciples and duly won the presidential election. Now only a couple of months in to his term as YUSU President, and having reached the pinnacle of York’s biggest political mountain he struts his stuff with his usual relaxed charm as he simply gets on with the job.

He remains determined to encourage students to be creative and entrepreneurial through the creation of a specially designed website. He is keen on student-run events and wants YUSU to provide the opportunity and space for students to take the reins of on campus events.

As Ben slowly works his way through his pint, occasionally letting the mask of bureaucratic restraint slip, he forgets the interview and simply chats with friends. He is relaxed as he rocks back in his chair letting out a sporadic guffaw when asked a probing or in-

appropriate question – to the latter he quickly reminds us of his inability to answer. Both the Israel-Palestine conflict and global warming questions are met with gentle giggles and a muttered “no comment”.

Always quick to laugh, we ask Ben about this year’s Comedy Night which he admits to only knowing half the line up of – Shaun Walsh and Jenny Collier. There was somewhat of a furore last year with the lack of any female comedians but Ben was determined this year “to support diversity and ultimately bring the best talent to York.”

He assures us this will be a fantastic event within a crammed freshers’ week culminating in The Big Top circus-themed festival on Heslington East.

Affable, self-depreciating and almost universally liked, Ben has high hopes for the year ahead but refuses to get carried away with grand schemes or impossible promises. His term as President promises much and his past successes are to be our guide the union is in for a great year under his leadership.

What would be your superpower?

Force-fields.

Favourite flavour crisps?

Cheese and Onion.

If you could go back to any period in history what would it be?

The Roaring 20’s.

Stuck on a desert island with anybody in the world who would it be?

Karl Pilkington.

Stuck on a desert island but with any of the Sabb officers, who would it be?

Grace Clarke.

Who is going to win and who is your favourite on The Great British Bake Off? In the YUSU sweepstake I got Ugne but my favourite is Chris.

What is your favourite conspiracy theory?

The use of fluoride by governments as a means of mind-control.

Most outrageous thing you have seen someone do at university?

A friend being sick and shitting himself at the same time in front of the Minster.

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yor kvis ion Rea .co. the d uk f pro ull fi onl les ine !

BNOC • /‘bee-’knōck/ n. 1. abbreviation of ‘big name on campus’, the term denotes a social celebrity at university, often a society chair or involved in student politics. “Hannah went home with a BNOC last night”

Usman Khan

Dr Rob Aitken

3.

4.

Ashley Reed

Stephen Harper

5.

6.

Rosalie Dowding

7.

Rebecca Saw

8.

Sasha Arnott

Alex Light

9.

Don Smithies

10.

George Norman

Big Names On Campus

2.

1.

LET’S TALK

ABOUT

SEX

STUDENTS ON SEX: THE VIEW FROM BELOW

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A CROSS-SECTION OF THE SEXUALLY ACTIVE REVEAL SECRETS FROM BENEATH THE SHEETS.

DESCRIBE YOUR SEX LIFE AT YORK

A beautiful thing marred only by the realities of paper thin walls, early morning grounds staff, halls mattresses and a number of bodily fluids. /// Vibrant and varied. /// I don’t know what sex is. /// Coming to university, I thought sex would be everywhere. Like, I wouldn’t be able to walk around campus without ending up just doing it all the time. The reality is somewhat different. University is a great time to explore and get some notches on your bed post, but it’s unlikely that overnight you’ll go from Will off The Inbetweeners to Russell Brand. ///

MOST OUTRAGEOUS UNI SEXPLOIT?

Went back with a girl after a night out but then ended up sleeping with someone else. /// 8am drunk sex with the curtains open within full view of The Courtyard. /// A guy I brought back either fell asleep or passed out during sex, wouldn’t call it outrageous but it sure was disappointing. /// An inverse relationship exists between my consumption of jaegerbombs and being able to get it up, it’s a fine line that I walk with reckless abandon. /// I brought a guy back who was the complete package: he had just been fired from his job at the KitKat factory because he was facing jail time, and to top it off he had a kid with his ex-stripper girlfriend. ///

BEST TIP FOR DOING IT AT UNIVERSITY?

Don’t put off doing the stride of pride, walking home at 1pm isn’t fun when you’re still in fancy dress. /// Put yourself out there, don’t be afraid to try something new. /// Try and soundproof your room a little bit, for your own sake and your housemates, listening to people you know banging is not okay. /// Getting with flatmates is risky business, especially in the first week. ///

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YORK’S TOP 5 DATE LOCATIONS EVIL EYE

Best to choose a quieter night due to the regularity of the queueing outside.

An infinite liquor selection lines the walls, the music selection and general vibe never disappoints.

PIVNI

VODKA REVOLUTIONS

TENPIN BOWLING, CLIFTON MOOR

THE COURTYARD

Tucked away near Tesco and Festival of Fun, it feels like a cramped Austrian après ski bar. Refreshingly, you won’t recognise many of the offerings on tap.

Astonishingly cheap drinks in a dated surrounding that perpetuates charm and memories of childhood birthday parties.

There are six days of the week when Revs isn’t imitating a club, and is actually a relaxed, spacious bar with good food and cocktails.

If a second date is on the cards on the strength of a pint of Carlsberg and a plate of chicken goujons, then they are almost definitely a keeper.

YUSU.ORG/WELFARE FOR MORE INFO ON DOING IT SAFELY

CONSENT IS NOT OPTIONAL

I

t is time that society stops seeing assault as an anomaly and starts recognising it for the common threat it is.

A few years ago, I believed some of the most common rape myths – that rape is about desire, that it is a violent crime committed in dark alleyways and that it can be avoided by acting a certain way. Looking back, I am so ashamed that I failed to recognise assault for what it is.

Rape is non-consensual sex and there are no ‘blurred lines’ of consent, no moment at which coercive sex is consensual and never a time at which it is okay to ‘take advantage’ of someone in a vulnerable position. Consent once given is not always given and anyone has the absolute, unequivocal right to retract consent at any point – a retraction of

consent is absolute and any sexual activity beyond this is assault. Having sex with someone who won’t remember it or is too drunk to initiate/freely agree to sex is not sex with consent and is dangerously common. It is time that we as a society and particularly as a University started recognising that and calling out assaulters for what they are.

Sexual assault is not just about rape – it’s the unwanted sexual touching that every girl I know has repeatedly faced on nights out. In every city I have been to, in nearly every club, I have been groped or followed by some stranger. I have lost count of the number of times I have ignored it, hoping the man would stop, or turned and confronted it, told (and been ignored by) bouncers or needed my male friends to stand beside me and

back me up. I am absolutely furious that groping is still treated as a laugh and that I need back-up so I’m taken seriously. I am constantly in outrage that I am unsafe and that there is nothing I can do to protect myself.

Last year’s YUSU President led a backlash against ‘lad culture’ and spoke at a few student societies about sexual harassment. Although this is great, we need more. We need a sustained effort by the University’s central management. We need a no-blame culture where victims feel supported and these crimes are dealt with. We need more compulsory consent talks for freshers and crucially an atmosphere in which the extent of assault is recognised – only when the University starts acknowledging the epidemic of assault will we start to combat the problem.

The University’s Feminist Society (FemSoc) meet on Wednesdays at 8pm yorkvision.co.uk

FRESH 13

FRESHERS’ SURVIVAL GUIDE 1. On your first day force yourself to engage with everyone in your new halls, including flatmates, your STYCs (Second and Third Year Contacts) and yes, even the silent, slightly strange person in the corner. Give everyone time to come out of their shell, nerves do weird things to most people, and chances are the quieter ones may become some of your best friends.

2. Stock up on multivitamins and painkillers. They probably won’t do much but at least you tried, right?

3. Don’t sleep with your new housemates on the first night; give it a week or two, and use protection.

6. *Cliché alert* be yourself. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

While university might be the opportunity to have a fresh start, it’s important to stick to your own values and opinions, and people will respect you much more for it.

7. Make use of the bars dotted around campus, they’re cheaper, and are a good social hub where you can meet new people.

In case of a Freshers’ emergency

5. Embrace everything and become a yes person for a week. University is about new experiences and broadening your mind. Although some of you may have already found yourselves on your gap yah.

9. Join a society. Societies are a great way of meeting new people and giving yourself an outlet that isn’t just uni work or drinking (although there will probably still be society-related partying, have no fear). Come along to the Freshers’ Fair, where there’s something for everyone’s tastes and interests, to see what is on offer.

10. Get some edgy trainers that you have pre-muddied to wear with EVERYTHING you own. Whether they go or not. These will see you through trekking around campus and nights out every day of the week. *NB if you are in Derwent this is especially important.

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12. Learn your go-to meal. Even if this is how to perfect a boiled egg, I can guarantee your diet for the first half of first year will be beige carbs.

8. Learn a drinking game, preferably a new one that people haven’t played before, but which has simple rules. Bring cards that are water resistant as well.

BY BECCA ALDERSON

4. Work out how to get to and from Morrisons on Foss Islands or even better, Aldi in Fulford. Nisa might be convenient but it’s pricey.

11. Try and budget in freshers’ week. I blew half of my student loan in six days alone at the beginning of the year, which not only went mostly on nights out, but left me hungover, hungry and poor.

13. Get over any fear of birds or large bodies of water. The University of York is really just a zoo with students and geese penned into one campus.

14. Invest in wavy garms and ridiculous lounge wear. The more mismatched and comfy the better.

Students love to live up to their own stereotype.

15. Finally, don’t panic! University life cannot be condensed into one fresher’s week. The rest of the year, and in fact the rest of your time at university, is of your making. You will find your own niche and you own comfort zone that is incomparable to anyone else’s and is what makes university so great. Every student will leave with vastly different experiences and memories.

So don’t try and fit a mould that doesn’t exist. But most importantly, HAVE A BLAST!

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EXPERIENCE

Beni Ngwamah

As a BME student, I sympathize with those who have spoken of feeling estranged.

“”

I was once told that my achievement of gaining a summer internship at a prestigious bank was due to their need to fill ethnicity quotas.

T

he University of York consists of 25 per cent Black Minority Ethnic students and 75 per cent non-BME students. Out of a sample of 150,000 applications made by students in 2010/11 and 2012/13, 54 per cent of white applicants gained an offer, while only 22 per cent of black African applicants managed the same. For black Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi applicants, the proportion was still only around 30 per cent.

These racial assumptions lead to entrenched university attitude that ‘everyday’ racism – daily encoun- fails to reflect the diversity of students ters and microthrough projects aggressions.

A “Racial integration has and is such as ‘I, Too, Am term coined by the proving to be more challeng- Oxford’ and ‘I, Too, Guardian columning despite what the glossy Am Sheffield’. ist Akala. These However we prospectuses and perfectly are normalised exmust be careful to periences that we balanced multiracial image- not conflate acts ry on the University of York encounter daily, of racism, and acbased on our difwebsite might indicate.” tively explore the ference from the catalysis behind The BME attainment gap has re- white norm. This includes constantly this continued academic inequality mained a persistent reality for stu- being asked if we sell drugs, if we go between BME students and the rest of dents, statistically; BME students on red when we are embarrassed etc. I the University community. This means average are reported as less likely to was once told that my achievement of an expansion of the National Scholarachieve a 2:1 or first in comparison gaining a summer internship at a pres- ship Programme, the Vice Chancellor to their fellow white counterparts. We tigious bank was due to their need to Diversity Award and a university-wide must explore and question the exist- fill ethnicity quotas. Such an attitude discussion on ethnicity. ence of the BME attainment gap. What made a mockery of my astute prepaIn my opinion I think the issue of do all these statistics and figures really ration, academic merit and delicate ethnicity has been superseded by ismean? Do a few figures and statistics balancing of extra-curricular activities sues such as gender inequality, sexualpaint a realistic illustration of a convo- and university study commitments. ity and mental health awareness. While luted concept such as “The issue of ethnicity How prevalent this I believe these issues are still very imethnicity in university? attitude is amongst has been superseded by non-BME students is portant but ethnic inequality is not an As a BME student, I issue the university considers centre issues such as gender something to think stage anymore. It remains on the pesympathize with those about. However my ex- riphery and only garners attention inequality, sexualwho have spoken of feeling estranged, ity and mental health perience in York thus when racist incidents take place such far suggests that such as the University Hockey Club ‘Twitstudying among peers awareness.” opinions are one of tergate scandal’. Racial integration has who often lack any awareness about their socioeconomic only a very small minority. It has how- and is proving to be more challenging status and the differences this experi- ever made me wonder if the university despite what the glossy prospectuses will adopt quotas permitting subse- and perfectly balanced multiracial imence entails. quent students to be admitted on the agery on the University of York website Pervading their university exmerits of their academic potential or might indicate. perience is the gulf between those on the colour of their skin. It is also imwith seemingly endless wealth and Ethnicity in university. Do you think portant to note that everyday racism is resources and those whose families about such a thing? Do you think about not something that materializes in distruggle to make ends meet, a divide how little you think about these things? rect insult only, but also through polite often reflected by race. Such dispariThese are the questions that as a uniindifference, silence and segregation. ties in ethnicity have given rise to raversity community we must ask ourBME students have been express- selves, these are questions that you as cial assumptions – ones that I myself ing their discontent with this almost an individual you must ask yourself. made before coming to university.

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FRESH 15

EXPERIENCE

Selina Pope

Overcoming the sacrificial triangle: The secret to a good work/life balance.

“”

I knew that I wanted to do well in my degree, but I also wanted to go out, make friends, achieve something worthwhile as part of a society.

B

efore I arrived at university, I remember seeing a simple image of a triangle, with a word placed in each corner: “Sleep”, “Good Grades” and “Social Life.” In the centre, the words “Pick Two” stood out.

Apparently this was meant to represent the balancing act which everyone at university faces.

“You’re

because you went out the night before.

In particular, expect minimum sleep and a relatively nonexistent social life during exam period (unless you count eating takeaway in the library canteen with your friends as a social life.)

whatever you end up doing.

The second element is commitment which is of course closely linked to your overall plan. My advice would be to try out as many societies as you are interested in, but then quickly narrow them down to a maximum of two, to give yourself enough time to really excel. Another option is to get a parttime job that fits around your commitments and studies as not only will you make some money but the skills and commitment you will be able to demonstrate will be very beneficial.

However, I do speak from experience when I say that it is allowed possible to strike a balance During the freshers’ fair, to give yourself between socialising and as I stuffed my face with free doing well in your degree. a well-deserved While at university, I have sweets and dominos pizza, this evil sacrificial triangle break now and (somehow) managed to be grated on my mind. I simthe Scene Editor of York Vithen.” ply could not decide which sion, Department Rep for The final strategy is to indulge of these three aspects of university my course, Raising and Giving Rep yourself once in a while. By this I mean life I wanted to sacrifice. I knew that on the Derwent JCRC, achieve the top you don’t need to be on campus every I wanted to do well in my degree, but mark in my year, get a grad job offer day from 8am to midnight in order to I also wanted to go out, make friends, and maintain a great group of friends. fit in all of your extra-curricular acachieve something This may sound slightly crazy, and tivities and get enough studying done. worthwhile as part if anyone had told me this at the fresh- It’s about being honest with yourself of a society and, of ers’ fair two years ago, I would prob- and knowing you’re allowed to give course, get those ably have spat out my Dominos pizza yourself a well-deserved break now coveted eight and laughed. and then. For instance, “Try out as many hours of sleep exam period apFor me, three main societies as you are as from time to time. proached I would study strategies have allowed I wish, at the me to deal with the interested in, but then for a few hours but then time, someone sacrificial triangle. The quickly narrow them happily spend a couhad told me first was to come up down to a maximum ple of hours in Courtthat all of this with a tangible plan and of two, to give yourself yard with friends. Some was possible definite goals for what I days, I would treat because it is. wanted to achieve. I de- enough time to really myself and wake up excel.”

Don’t get me cided that I wanted a at midday as long as I wrong, there career in commercial law so I ensured knew I could make up will be times that most of the things I did would in that time by studying late. I also really where you’ll some way work towards achieving this enjoyed taking Netflix lunch breaks fall asleep end. You may not know exactly what with my flatmates. during a you want to do, perhaps even until The sacrificial triangle can be 9am lec- third year, but my advice would be to overcome. It just takes some planning, ture come up with some sort of plan and commitment and allowing yourself to follow it through. Inevitably for any future job, skills such as leadership will be brought up time and time again in interviews so work your way up to an important role in a society, and it will be sure to make you more employable,

let your hair down now and then. And at the end of the day, university is a complex experience and there are bound to be times where the triangle will prevail. Just don’t let it become a vicious circle...

FRESH 17

KREPT AND KONAN

T

he rise of grime and UK rap has been meteoric over the last few years.

After years of not being taken seriously, grime artists such as Skepta and Stormzy have led the way in establishing a genre that has started to receive worldwide acclaim. No longer a sectional genre, it has taken front and centre stage at mainstream music festivals, with Skepta headlining Leeds and Krept and Konan, Stormzy and Fekky all appearing on the same bill.

The inception of ‘Drop.’ a York-based club night focused on grime and UK urban music typifies what is a growing appreciation and availability of the genre.

Grime is a genre that goes beyond music to lifestyle so I started by asking what grime meant to the duo. Krept was clear that, “grime is obviously British, it’s part of UK culture; it began with kids coming through and rapping and letting listeners connect to what was really happening in the UK”. Konan added that “when there wasn’t anything as respected as rap in the UK it took those kids coming through to properly establish the genre and get it the respect it deserves.”

They are both clear that it is a fundamental way that they identify themselves as British.

Relatable storylines and strong wordplay have always been a defining charac-

teristic of grime. The freestyles and different levels of meaning coupled with a strong and fast-paced beat have led to the complete reinvigoration of the genre.

The poetic and anecdotal quality of Krept and Konan’s music and their lyrical partnership is a permanent feature and much commented upon aspect of their style. Krept and Konan’s early works, ‘Tsunami’ (2010) reaching over 60,000 digital downloads and their third mix tape ‘Young Kingz’ (2011) peaking at #3 on the UK R&B Chart, gained them respect and a reputation as strong lyrical rappers.

The great lyrical quality of their music and firm friendship inevitably leads to questions about the song-writing process, the presumption that they work through everything together was met with a chuckle as they explained that they ‘’never spit out loud or do anything like that” but just decide on the chorus and work independently from there, only coming together to “help each other with rhyming or give the other a sick punch line”.

Krept and Konan have come a long way since their days MC-ing as part of Gipset in South London when they we just trying to get their music out there. They both remember those ‘difficult’ times with a definite self

confidence saying that “we always knew we could make it and be successful but you just don’t know when it’s going to happen.” Even with this confidence they understand the industry they’re in and have the humility to recognise that “even now it’s difficult to be honest, there’s no guarantee your music will be played or your album will be successful.”

It is great to hear about their absolute focus to succeed where they knew they had to drop everything and give their all to the music if they wanted to make it big. Their determination is clearly necessary for all artists but remains a fantastic example for young artists who are trying to make it.

There came a defining moment in their lives and careers with the shooting of Konan’s stepfather, Carlton Ned, when they had to make the difficult choice between retaliation and getting involved in a criminal lifestyle or stepping back and getting on with their music. ‘My Story’, which was released in 2012, emotionally details the shooting and their reaction. It is an incredibly powerful song full of Krept and Konan’s hallmarks - the hard hitting, real

20 FRESH

lyrics chequered with genuine pain and emotion.

In one section the line “that’s why I say the music chose us, we didn’t choose it” completely sums up Krept’s and Konan’s situation and mentality.

Music had been the biggest part of their lives and they realised nothing, not the anger nor the hatred, could take that away from them. The song explains a call they got from Skepta asking them to support him on tour, pushing their hand to seize their path as musicians. Again their music both shaped and defined their lives.

Following the shooting they channelled the anger and in this time released a remix of ‘Otis’ by Jay Z which reached over 5 million views within 5 days. The song brought them the attention which turned out to be the spark for their illustrious career. Though a successful period for the pair, Konan reflects on how it “just made everything ten times harder” as they dealt with the loss but “continued and finally made it”.

As their music began to be noticed and they received international acclaim, some big labels came call-

ing. Virgin EMI records, who the duo divulges, thought they would be able to sign them in an instant, eventually managing to sign them in October 2013 after a long and difficult decision.

Their unsigned career had been hugely successful and in particular, “the way Young Kingz [Krept and Konan’s third mix tape], blew up wasn’t expected” so they had to “consider every option” because it could have turned out that they didn’t need to get signed. They were fully aware of how successful some independent artists had been but ultimately “the links and connections the label had were too appealing”. They said “that the leverage that Virgin had over the artists on their roster, was very important for us to build relations with people who might not have heard of us before”.

These relations are clear to see as Krept and Konan’s new album ‘The Long Way Home’ sees them collaborating with the finest UK and American artists, from Ed Sheeran and Emeli Sandé to Rick Ross and Wiz Khalifa. But it was the song ‘Don’t Waste My Time’ which gave Krept and Konan their first taste of success across the pond. It saw

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great critical acclaim domestically, but also caught the eye of American hiphop artist French Montana and his collaboration on the remix gave the duo their first taste of the American rap industry.

over in America which means they can prioritise their music and not have to worry so much about making money or getting their music out there. There is a love of their music in British artists but they can’t fully express that with their The pair were quick to point out the other priorities, which the pair think is a massive factor in why massive differences working with other when working with “Grime is obviously American artists to British...letting listeners British artists is harder to bring together. They British ones. From connect to what’s really are quick to stress that their experience, there are some fantashappening in the UK.” “American artists tic artists working and are much better making great music at and quicker” and the moment in the UK including some they both complain that “trying to get an English artist to work on a track is great young talent coming through. such a headache”. Now they are being approached and can approach some American artists, they feel it’s a much more productive relationship as “if American artists are going to do a track, then they’ll jump on it there and then and are keen to go straight to the studio and tear it up.”

This is not a critique of British artists so much as how they understand the cultural difference in the music industry between the two countries.

There is a lot of money in the business

As the interview drew to a close, after discussing their past, their journey to fame and finally getting signed, it only seemed right to ask about where they see themselves going in the future. Their determination to succeed and their passion for their music had been clear throughout the interview so it was not surprising to hear of their ambition and drive for the future.

Krept’s preference for working alongside American artists coupled with the recent attention grime has re-

ceived in the US, especially with Kanye West making a surprise appearance alongside some of grime’s biggest names at London’s KOKO earlier this year, leads to the assumption that their main focus is on the American industry. However, this is immediately challenged by the pair who make it clear they want to break into “world-wide territory, which is not just America but Africa too” but still they don’t forget that “we’re from Europe and we still need to be massive here”.

Their burning ambition has got them where they are and their desire to break “every continent, every country and every city!” shows they have their minds firmly focused on the future. From kids growing up in south London to a young but glittering grime career, Krept and Konan are clearly two genuine guys with honest and captivating music.

by Previn Desai

We guide you through York’s culinary paradise making sure you go out and explore York rather than spending all your days on campus. If your palate needs more than just a cheeky Nando’s these are the places to go.

FOOD

Mannion & Co (1 Blake Street, York, YO1 8QJ)

Mannion is a beautiful and affordable Mediterranean deli in the heart of the city. The Bits and Bobs meat and cheese platter accompanied by their homemade bread, olives and sun dried tomato chutney is a must-have. However if you fancy something lighter, go for a salmon and mascarpone or brie and bacon sandwich.

Brew and Brownie (5 Museum St, York YO1 7DT)

GUIDE TO...

Gatehouse Coffee (Walmgate Bar, York, North Yorkshire YO10 2UB)

This is a historic coffee house inside the city walls offering highquality teas and coffees. They have some great paninis, and if the library is just too busy it is a fantastic place to work on some early evening revision.

Enjoy the fantastic flavors of this coffee house which with its homely atmosphere and great pancakes offers you a nostalgic trip back to your childhood.

Lockfyne (12 Walmgate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 9TJ)

This is where you go when you want seafood, though it retains a great variety for the meat lovers out there. For starters, I would recommend the fish pie or hot chilli prawns, and for a main course, the smocked haddock with whole grain mustard or seafood tagliatelle in a cream sauce. Though a bit pricey for students, the lunch menu is great value and it is definitely worth visiting if you fancy a treat.

Mumbai Lounge (47 Fossgate, City Centre, York YO1 9TF)

Sutlers Bar and Kitchen (47 Fossgate, City Centre, York YO1 9TF)

This Edwardian-style bar with a beautiful restored bar and homely snug is ideal for having dinner with your partner or a drink with your mates. You should always check the dessert menu and I would recommend the cheesecake if you want to experience a firework of creamy flavours in your mouth.

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Goji (36 Goodramgate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 7LF)

This one is for all the vegetarians out there. I am a sworn meat lover but after I visited Goji, I started to question my meat religion.

Mumbai Lounge is the place for a curry in York. Unfortunately, I am a curry illiterate, but I went once and all I can say is that I couldn’t really move when I left. Although I was full, everything tasted so good; the sauce of the curry was so smooth and creamy and I just could not stop eating.

FRESH 23

GUIDE TO...

York has hundreds of societies to choose from. Here is a handy guide to some of the best ones the University has on offer!

IETIES

SOC SwiftSoc

For all you Swifties out there, go along on Wednesday evenings to discuss all things Taylor Swift. Here you can talk about the big issues of the day alongside Taylor’s latest album or fashion choices. A new and interesting society that meets for quizzes as well as their fund-raising event, ‘Bake it Off’ - an ode to Taylor and GBBO, what’s not to love?

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TEDxUoY

TEDx brings the spirit of TED to York by helping the spread of ideas through short powerful talks on topics of particular interest to students delivered by student and external speakers. One of their best events is ‘TED and Pizza’ where they watch TED videos, then look at topics in detail all while eating pizza.

Medieval Soc

The medieval society are often spotted around campus re-enacting famous battles in full costume.

If you are at all interested in the medieval period, they re-enact battles from the Viking Age, Crusades and the War of the Roses – so go along, there is something for everyone. On Sunday they have themed combat training sessions and on Monday they have their themed socials.

BEST OF THE REST HazSOC

This society organises large campus games such as Assassin’s Circle and Humans vs Zombies where they career around campus with their NERF guns.

Chess Society

They meet every Monday in D Bar to have a few drinks and play hour upon hour of chess. If you fancy a game or a quiet night on campus it is definitely worth a go.

The Lemon Press

The witty epicentre of university life, this is York’s only satirical magazine and is the place to go if you view life through the permanent prism of cynicism and count yourself among the ‘funny guys’ of this world.

PantSoc

One of the funniest societies on campus, you don’t have to be good at singing or dancing to join, you just have to love going on socials in outrageous fancy dress.

World Cinema Society

The place to see some of the best international films and broaden your cultural repertoire every Friday night from the comfort of V/045.

Cocktail Society

As the name suggests, this is a society based around the making and drinking of cocktails which involves mixology sessions and crawls between York’s cocktail bars.

Rather suitably, a year’s worth of sport at the University of York loosely resembles the average Joe’s fresher experience. The medley of events and opportunities you’ll be exposed to in your first year here mean the complete fresher experience is a rarity.

Similarly, sport at York offers too much for you to sink your teeth into it all. There are however, certain points in the academic year in which sport becomes the focal point of the student bubble and grips the campus intrigue. If you’re to indulge yourself in the York Sport experience, the following are not to be missed.

Freshers’ Fair

GUIDE TO...

SPORT

The Freshers’ Fair gives all clubs and societies an opportunity to assemble new recruits.

Nearly every sports club at the university will be found in the Main Hall of the Sports Centre, giving you all an opportunity to become a member and sign up to email subscriptions.

There are 62 clubs to choose from, ranging from the popular Football and Rugby Union clubs, to the emerging VX and Octopush sports. My advice would be to talk to members of sports you’ve never tried. Inform yourself of dates and times of taster sessions and socials, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can develop a new passion.

Roses

College Varsity With college sport comes the College Varsity tournament against the University of Durham in March. The top four college teams in each league enter the Varsity Qualifiers, which involve two semi-finals and a final.

The winners and runners-up then face the respective Durham colleges in the Varsity proper. This year’s tournament will be held in York, providing an opportunity for spectators as well as participants to get involved.

Despite a valiant effort from the York contingent, Durham were runaway victors at Maiden Castle last year.

But on home soil this year, expect an even tighter encounter.

vision@yusu.org www.yorkvision.co.uk/sport yorkvision.co.uk

College Sport Perhaps the biggest appeal of sport at York is the competitive edge brought about by the collegiate system. Big rivalries with other universities are exciting, but there’s nothing quite like inter-campus contests to swell your college allegiance. Badminton, Hockey, Football, Netball and Rugby Union boast college sports teams that are both inclusive and challenging.

The teams battle it out in termlong leagues which add a competitive edge. Furthermore, various college football teams have developed a cult following over the years. Your respective college will contact you with information regarding trials and taster sessions, and you can find out more at www.yusu.org/collegesport.

The annual Roses tournament is the largest inter-university sports tournament in Europe and the heartbeat of York Sport. Each year, we clash with the University of Lancaster in a spectacular commemoration of the War of the Roses. From Boxing to Ballroom Dancing and from Canoeing to Croquet, the event sees thousands of students from both universities taking part in a wide range of sports.

Last time round, the White Rose of York hosted and stormed to the largest ever winning margin since the tournament’s inception in 1965. This year, Lancaster will be the venue.

Though it is undoubtedly tougher to win the tournament away from home, we can take confidence from our marginal victories in 2002 and 2008 in Lancaster.

Whether you’re a sports enthusiast or not, the Roses tournament will undoubtedly be a highlight of your university experience. To see the entire university united under a cause is quite the spectacle. It’ll be well worth looking out for the limited number of tickets on offer in the summer term.

Are you interested in writing match reports for your favourite sport? Or photographing the biggest sporting events on campus? Our sports team is a tight-knit bunch always looking to add members who share a love of sport. Get in touch by messaging the York Vision Facebook page.

FRESH 25

GUIDE TO...

CLUB NIGHTS

The four YUSU nights are Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

There are also the new Friday student-run club nights, which will see a variety of venues and themes.

TUESDAYS Kuda

Music:

Downstairs: Hip Pop and RnB, Upstairs:Chart and mainstream house.

What to wear:

Boys; jeans and t-shirt (polo if you are feeling fancy) Girls; Jeans and a statement top.

The most mainstream of the club nights spread over three floors. The chart classics are played on the middle floor, which has a cramped and sweaty moshpit vibe post midnight. Tiki bar offers some fantastic RnB tunes and a exciting, if not rogue, Volswagen camper van in the middle of the dance floor. The top floor remains for those less partial to human contact and offers the rarity of not being to loud to have a conversation.

WEDNESDAYS

THURSDAYS

Music:

Music:

Salvation

Fibbers

Downstairs: Chart Upstairs: Cheese

‘Throwback Thursdays’ - Old school anthems

What to wear:

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Fancy dress or something you don’t mind having ruined. A club that is only really appropriate in outrageous fancy dress and after a heavy preclub-pres in Society. The favourite stomping ground of all the sports clubs be prepared for all their ridiculous antics. If you go to ‘Salvo’ your Wednesday nights will be woefully

What to wear:

Much like Kuda but only a T-shirt and more black Revamped and remodelled over the last few years a return to pop classics will bring Thursday nights back to their best. Old school anthems alongside a tuck shop and an indie disco in the Bier Keller it’ll be a cracking end to the week before you begin all over again at Revs.

SUNDAYS

Vodka Revolutions Music:

Mix of classics and chart on a helpfully short playlist that will remind you to go home when you hear a song for the second time.

What to wear:

Girls; LBD/Playsuit. Boys; Chinos, Shirt, Desert boots.

A chance to put on your gladrags and ruin your bank balance on the extensive cocktail list or numerous shot sticks. Don’t be too drunk on arrival as you should be looking at your best for the obligatory Revs photo. Usually a bit of a sausage fest be prepared for chinos that are too tight and groups of sports ‘lads’ who worship themselves (and each other for that matter).

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EXPERIENCE

Anonymous

Coping with disability at university.

“”

The old cliché of reinventing yourself at uni actually worked wonders for me in terms of living with disability.

C

oming to university last year, I was the standard mix of nerves and excitement – would I like my flatmates? Would I like my course?

And, most worryingly of all, would I be able to cope with my disability?

I have type 1 diabetes – a disability that’s pretty much hidden from my peers, that requires intensive management and that isn’t curable.

Sometimes it leaves me angry and resentful, and at other times I accept it completely and barely even notice it. I’m clear on the fact that diabetes is a disability, not just an illness, but that I am not disabled. I have diabetes but I don’t define as diabetic – I am more than my disability. Some of my friends with similar conditions do define as disabled and find that more useful and if that suits their needs then that’s really great. The important thing is working out how you view your disability and how you want others to view it and taking ownership of your relationship with it (the old cliché of reinventing yourself at uni actually worked wonders for me in terms of living with disability).

The practical aspects of managing a disability have been ok – the disability hub at the Student Support Services made my supervisor and all my tutors aware of my condition and the department has been really good about it all. I have separate exam arrangements, eat in seminars whenever I need, and actually the only time someone has brought it up was my tutor asking me what sort of sweets would be best for me at the end of term. There’s also an Open Door counselling team as part of the Student Support Services and Disability Reps in each College - there is

support available.

But the thing I was most nervous about was others’ awareness or perception of my disability. All my home friends were around for diagnosis, for the ups and the downs and although we don’t often talk about it, I know they are a support group who just ‘get it’. So I was worried about coming to uni away from my supportive family, to meet people who had never encountered my condition before, might be full of preconceptions or might treat me differently because of it. And there have been people who have been rubbish about it – telling me about diabetes because they studied it at A-level and so must know more about it than me, even after I’ve had it

for 6 years. Or a stranger continually badgered me about it on a night out after I asked him repeatedly to stop questioning me about personal and sensitive information (hello, at 3am all I want to think about is chips and gravy!). But then there have been new friends who have been incredible, who have listened when I needed a rant, have understood when I just don’t want to talk about it, and who can just make it easier to cope with.

Coming to uni with a disability is harder than coming to uni without one, there’s no getting away from that, and living with disability is a struggle that most people just don’t understand and don’t appreciate. But this past year has been much easier than I anticipated – I’ve gone out a lot, been to Athens on a university “A stranger continually trip, completed an internship badgered me about it on a and had an amazing time. having to plan ahead, night out... hello, at 3am all Despite and think more carefully about I want to think about is chips things than my flatmates, I’ve been able to do every single and gravy!” thing that I wanted. It’s ok to feel down, angry and resentful about having a disability, it’s ok to need emotional support and it’s definitely ok to ask for it. Feeling pissed off about your disability is totally normal but sometimes I feel proud of it, and proud of who it makes me as well.

www.york. ac.uk/ students/ support/ disability

“”

The scene is small in York, but there are like-minded people who get what I am trying to do.

Rapper Jide Cliffe talks York’s music scene, and ‘Sydney Wyatt’, the seven-man collective he belongs to, creating a path of their own across three cities.

M

JIDE CLIFFE

any of York’s more creatively minded people are not the most recognisable faces on campus, and much of its most brilliant talent lies just beyond the student population’s peripheral vision.

For me to discover artist Jide Cliffe, a Facebook group had to pop up on my newsfeed, which introduced me to a wealth of previously invisible oncampus talent.

A third-year Langwithian studying Accounting, Business Finance & Management, Jide hails from Hatfield but since arriving in York has found likeminded people to make music with alongside studying for his degree.

I had a chat with Jide to find out a little more about him.

28 FRESH

When did you start making music?

Describe the music that you make.

I started making music when I was 14; it started out as grime music, but as the years went on it changed into rap.

My music has a chilled vibe, it’s something you can listen to while driving at night or just relax listening to.

“We have established a collective with creative people in York and other cities.”

Has coming to York helped you progress your music at all?

Since I came to university I’ve managed to network with other art-

ists, and release a track which now has over 4.5k plays on SoundCloud. Also we have established a collective with creative people in York and other cities called Sydney Wyatt.

Tell me more about Sydney Wyatt.

We are a seven-man collective who all create things in different art mediums: painting, music, fashion and videographers. Four members are in York, two in London and one in New York.

Where did the name come from?

The name came from Lekan who is one of our members. He had the vision of it being just an average suburban American name, that doesn’t just label us as one thing...aha...it’s meant to be confusing.

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How did you all meet?

Most of us met in York, but since the majority of us live in London we’re always hanging out together back home as well. Our member in New York is Lekan who is Sydney Wyatt member Richard Osho’s cousin. He came to the UK for a month and just loved our lifestyle and since then has been a member of the collective. We try not to not focus on just one art form but exploring as many as we can.

What have you accomplished so far?

So far I’ve had two musical releases, whilst another member is working on the first line of clothing releases and another one of the collective members, Rocky, is hosting an event in Paris in the next couple of months.

What does the future hold for Sydney Wyatt?

We just want to enhance our visuals, and continue to be a forward thinking group who are unique in our nature.

“For the York music scene to prosper, it has to be backed by the university.”

What is the music scene like in York?

The scene is small in York but there are like-minded people who get what I am trying to do, from producers to engineers and other rappers. It’s a good vibe.

What would you like to see change about the creative scene in York?

I would like to see York’s music scene grow and expand, with more people who want to make music coming out and actually releasing stuff, and a bigger spotlight being placed on musicians.

What do you think can be done to see it grow and expand? Can it be a student led expansion or should the university help/how could they help?

In order for the York music scene to prosper it has to be backed by the university in terms of advertising more opportunities for artists to create (like studio time and other facilities that the university may have to help artists create their music).

Who are your biggest influences musically?

My biggest inspirations come from other UK artists such as Skepta and Wiley but also other up and coming UK rappers like A2 and Bonkaz.

Where do you want to take your music, or it take you?

I make music because it’s what I love to do and it’s an escape from the reality of life, I just want the quality of my music to become better each day.

Listen to “BAHAMA$$” and “That’$ my Baby” at: soundcloud.com/ jdcliffe

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ARRIVALS

ITALY

Veronica Lissandrini

One thing I didn’t realise at the time was that I didn’t need most of the things I brought with me.

Moving to a new country is basically like starting a new life, so I’d say to bring only the essentials (also travelling with loads of luggage is expensive and

Starting University in a foreign country can be a daunting experience, so we asked some of York’s international students what they would tell themselves if they could revisit their fresher-selves.

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FAROE ISLANDS

Thomas Lambaa Giehm

Be prepared for lots of questions. As a Faroese person, talking about whaling and describing what fermented lamb tastes like was a standard occurrence for me in first year.

For new students, I think the most important thing is to go out of your comfort zone.

So, specifically, try to actively

THE USA

get to know both UK and international students. For some reason a lot of international students mostly stick to themselves, but if you make an effort in your first couple of months then you will get the best of both worlds. I feel like everything else is just common sense.

Naz Yakubu

Familiarize yourself with the work rules for your student visa. The Home Office changes them frequently and you will want to know what they are so you don’t get you or your employer in trouble.

Also, ask other international students from your country where they do their banking.

Different banks have different procedures for setting up international student accounts and can vary by nationality. Similarly, try and learn the different denominations (especially the coins) before you get here and not while you’re at the front of a queue at the bar!

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SRI LANKA

Uvin Dissanayake

I thought York was absolutely beautiful and that the people were incredibly friendly.

Although I found my college, Derwent, absolutely repulsive when I first got here, the place does grow on you.

The first few days were a bit uncomfortable but I’d say immersing yourself in the whole party culture is a pretty good way of integrating.

The most important thing for international freshers to keep in mind is that everyone is in a similar situation and are just as

yorkvision.co.uk

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exhausting). I had my mum and my brother helping me with moving in so I didn’t feel lonely when I first got to York.

I would definitely recommend international students attend as many events as they can and be as open and friendly as possible. Sometimes people are quite introverted by nature, which is understandable, but when you first get here, you should try talking to random people. People will appreciate the effort.

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HONG KONG

Guy Giles

Coming from an English family meant that my transition to university in York was a smooth one, despite the long journey halfway across the world. While my familiarity with the country and culture obviously made my move easier, it was the college environment at York that really made me feel at home straight away. Nearly half the people in my corridor were

international students and all of them settled in really quickly.

My advice to those coming from overseas is to mix as much as possible with both home and international students, and by creating a wider circle of friends you will settle in quicker. Get involved straight away with societies that you are interested in, your three years here will go before you know it. Societies offer great personal and social opportunities and I wish I had got involved with York Vision much sooner than I did.

FRANCE

MALAYSIA Siti Humaira Binti Idrus desperate to make friends as you. Even if English isn’t your first language I think you’ve got to try and avoid feeling self-conscious and really put yourself out there.

So yeah, it shouldn’t be something intimidating or isolating but rather you should look at it all with excitement.

You’re here in this foreign country with a bunch of people your age, with all the freedom you could want. It’s like a holiday where you get to learn about things you like and party with awesome people.

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When I first arrived, I thought ‘when in Rome, do what the Romans do’ and also worried if I made mistakes speaking English. But I was wrong, the community in York celebrates diversity and differences so just be yourself. Even the staff range from different backgrounds, and are in fact the most helpful people regardless of who you are.

Juliette Guinier

Cut the cord with your family as soon as you get to university. Don’t go back home unless it’s for the holidays otherwise you won’t be able to experience university life fully. Also, don’t spend your time on the phone with people from back home, it’s only going to make it harder for you to adapt.

Go to the freshers events every time you can because that’s where you’ll meet people.

I met some of my friends on the first day I got to York because I went to the international barbeque during the afternoon.

At first it’s awkward but it’s still better than just being in your room on your own wondering if you’re ever going to find friends.

Finally, don’t be afraid to speak English because you have an accent or because you make mistakes, no one actually cares. Most people are going to be impressed you can speak two languages!

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DONER LASAGNE ANYONE?

How far can we push the boundaries of our campus supermarket with respect to culinary acceptability?

A

s you will no doubt soon become accustomed with, our campus supermarket is possibly the one unifying constant of university life that we all share. Was it not Carl Sagan who once said: “Anything else you’re interested in is not going to happen if you can’t breathe the refrigerated air and drink the £18 crate of cider that is housed beneath the neon blue sign of Nisa”? Maybe I’m mixing my quotes, but the weird and wonderful world of Nisa divides opinion and perhaps too much conversation is devoted to it.

Yes, waxing lyrical about a food shop is hardly the most captivating content, but an important aspect of campus life to include if we are to give a rounded introduction to York. We set about thinking how to showcase the usefulness of the admittedly monopolist store, while at the same time endear you to its character, created by

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some of the more questionable produce that lines its shelves.

Turning up at ‘chef’s’ house armed with a few choice items, ranging from bizarre to banal, I set the challenge of creating a three course meal with only a moderately stocked kitchen as an ally.

The items purchased were as follows: a loaf of white bread, four tomatoes, an onion, double cream, a McVities madeira cake and, possibly the most feared and shocking item available for sale and crowning glory of the frozen food aisle, a £1.99 pack of frozen doner meat slices.

After a short period of deliberation, ‘chef’ had constructed his menu: Bruschetta à la Hovis Doner Lasagne Tiramisu

I will now hand over to ‘chef’ to walk you through how he created this culinary concoction of campus chow.

I

had received no prior warning of my ‘ingredients’ list bar the faint insinuation that doner meat would be among them, so the sparse selection set my mind a-racing. Luckily, as a second-year I have a reasonably well stocked kitchen, so I knew I could intertwine the bought ingredients with my store cupboard essentials.

The doner meat was my first concern and trying to mask the flavour as much as possible so I opted for a lasagne. I loaded up the pan with garlic and onions and a stray jar of Dolmio sauce before throwing in a decent glug of cheap wine (alongside pouring a glass for myself) all in the hope of making a doner meat lasagne palatable! I cooked this down then assembl-

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-ed the lasagne and topped with a rogue packet of white sauce I’d picked up in the Nisa reduced section some months ago.

Once the lasagne was in the oven I turned to the bruschetta, which was simple enough to get on with. A delicate mix of tomatoes, garlic and basil atop a girdled round of premium Hovis white went down a storm.

The final flourish was the Tiramisu – something I had never made before – but which came together with surprising speed and beauty. Soaking the Madeira cake in tepid Nescafe did wonders for the flavour and, though whisking the cream with some Nesquick was a pain, with a simple hand whisk it was well worth it for the results that followed. A fantastic des-

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sert that I polished off all by myself; light and fluffy with the gentle background hum of cheap coffee.

then you can attain that label by making this starter, while sticking to a student budget.

Buried in a lasagne “A beautiful and At last, the lasagne between sheets of pasta, crispy amalgama- tomato and bechemel was lifted from the oven and held aloft like Sim- tion of the fresh sauce, the strips of donba, of Lion King fame, and the synthetic.” er meat are much less to howls of excitement offensive than if eaten from the onlooking straight out the microcrowd. A beautiful and crispy amalga- wave. A criticism of the meat itself is mation of the fresh and the synthetic, that it is too thickly sliced. I doubt the excellently blended into an edible, if £1.99 doner meat producing company only just, main course. The bruschetta has an extensive customer service dewas light and if seasoned well (like it partment, but if they did that would be was), is so much more than chopped my major complaint. Despite its basic tomatoes on a bit of bread. An inex- lack of sophistication or taste (in the pensive starter that shows that you at more general sense), I can imagine least have a bit of culinary aptitude returning to a reheated slice of doner about you. If there is space in your lasagne after a night out as a tantalissocial circle for a sophisticated type, ing prospect.

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As an Ex-Vision Editor and BNOC, Helena Horton has a nugget or two of wisdom to pass on to Freshers about student life. Having previously worked for Dazed and Confused and The Daily Mirror she currently writes for The Daily Telegraph.

What’s the secret to doing well in uni work?

Actually do the reading and turn up to seminars, most people don’t, so if you do, you’re ahead already. Try to come up with your own ideas and find friends who are equally motivated to study with.

Which year did you enjoy the most?

First year was mad and horrible sometimes but it was really exciting. In second year I had got used to the uni and was really involved in Vision. In third year I came into my own and became a proper adult by preparing for finals.

What’s your three best tips for fresher’s?

1- Don’t shag your housemate or take their virginity as that is awkward. 2Line your stomach before you drink 3Your housemates are probably basic, join a society.

What’s the secret to doing well in uni work?

My advice would be to realize early on that it’s a marathon and not a sprint.

Uni work is about juggling lots of different things.

What would you have done differently during your time at York?

Not dated Tories.

What’s your best tip for relationships at university?

I am not the best person to answer that! Mine ended in a lot of tears, injuries and coded Twitter messages.

The Graduate Interview Helena Horton Where was your favourite place to eat?

The House of Trembling Madness (on Stonegate).

Inne, which is the oldest licensed premises in York and has a nice feel even if it does occasionally smell a

The Graduate

Which year did you enjoy the most?

First. Not Third. Definitely not Second anyway. Second year was a bit of a disappointment for me once the novelty of having a TV and a living room and a double bed wears off.

What would you have done differently during your time at York?

I would have definitely liked to have gotten up and out a bit more and spent less days hungover in bed.

You won’t regret taking a day to walk round the city walls. York is a beautiful place with lots of things to do.

Where was your favourite place to go out?

I was never a club person but I’d recommend Gibson’s on Mickelgate, which does live music and cheap cocktails. There’s also Ye Old Starre

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Where was your favourite place to go out?

Willow (sorry freshers you’ll never experience it).

Tom Davies

Interview Tom Davies was Editor of The Lemon Press and our regular columnist at Vision making him a ‘BWOC’ or Big Wit On Campus. He still resides in York were he is pursuing various media projects.

What are your best memories of York?

Being in the Vision office laying up the paper, falling down the stairs, walking back at 4am in summer from a night out when the birds were singing in the trees, walking around town alone in summer - it’s so beautiful I’ll miss it, feeling like being part of a community and a family, going to Dublin on a concert band trip and the solidarity that comes with goose attacks.

bit of wee. If you like your real ales and that then there’s Pivni in the city centre.

Where was your favourite place to eat?

Kapadokya 50 is probably my favourite sit down place. Pretty reasonable, lovely traditional Turkish food. I also swear by Ambiente, which is a tapas bar on Goodramgate.

What’s your best tip for relationships at university?

University is one of the best times of your life for meeting people, particularly if you were never any good at grinding on someone at a club. Join lots of clubs, put yourself out there and see what happens.

What are your best memories at York?

Let’s not get into playing that game of crazy anecdote telling... but the best memories I have of Uni are all times I spent with my friends, and that, in the least soppy way possible, is what I’d say Uni was really about.

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Can you tick off everything on the list before you graduate?

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7

EMERGE VICTORIOUS FROM A FRACAS WITH A GOOSE HAVE SEX IN THE QUIET PLACE FALL ASLEEP IN A SEMINAR WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING RUN A JOKE YUSU ELECTION CAMPAIGN ROLL DOWN CLIFFORDS TOWER ANSWER A QUESTION IN A LECTURE POST A CLUB PHOTO ON FACEBOOK OF YOU WITH A YUSU SABB OFFICER

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READ NOUSE*

CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF IN THE KITCHEN

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11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER TO COMPLETE AN ESSAY ON TIME DO A POO IN A CLUB

CATCH A LIVE FISH IN THE LAKE STREAK AT A COLLEGE FOOTBALL MATCH GO TO HES EAST

GET TAKEAWAY DELIVERED TO THE LIBRARY GET ON THE FRONT PAGE OF YORK VISION THROW UP OUT THE TAXI WINDOW ON THE WAY HOME PERFORM A STRIDE OF PRIDE AFTER A ONE NIGHT STAND

GET WITH A BNOC

*York Vision does not condone such reckless behaviour. Read Nouse in moderation, and always choose your campus news responsibly.

yorkvision.co.uk

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