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Alisha Rouse
The government’s “ill-conceived meddling” in university funding has left the higher education sector in disarray, with our own University set to lose millions of pounds.
Forge Press can reveal that quotas introduced by the government have led to 600 fewer admissions at the University of Sheffield, and many other higher education institutions have been hit. This could cost the University substantially, with millions of pounds being lost in fees, which Union officers fear may result in cuts to outreach and retention.
Wendy Piatt, director general of the Russell Group, said that the drop could cost Russell Group universities £80 million.
Many more universities are charging the full £9,000 than the government expected. With graduate earnings projected to decrease, the repayments to student loans will fall, causing the government’s costs to soar.
There are also fears that the government’s miscalculation will result in the dismantling of parts of the higher education sector that don’t produce high-earning graduates, leaving humanities courses and ex-polytechnics at risk. The government could also renegotiate student loan repayments, ending the 30-year cap.
The government aimed to gain £1 billion from tripling fees, when in fact the cost of subsidising loans for the fees may amount to as much as £680 million, leaving
a £1.6 billion gap between expectations and reality.
Richard Alderman, Students’ Union education officer, said: “The government have got their sums wrong” and went on to express his fear that outreach and retention programs could suffer.
The situation has also been criticised by Sheffield Central MP, Paul Blomfield, who told Forge Press: “Students and universities are paying the price of this government’s ill-conceived meddling with our higher education system.”
Many of the problems are to do with universities’ RAB (Resource Accounting and Budgeting) charge, which is how much money loaned to students the government do not expect to
be paid back. The government initially expected the RAB shortfall to be around 30 per cent, but Alderman said current levels are as much as 32 per cent, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimate this figure to be closer to 37 per cent.
When the government lifted the cap on tuition fees, they expected competition between universities to drive down fee levels for most universities, with £9,000 being the exception, rather than the rule.
When it became clear that was not the case, the government came up with a plan to intervene with admissions, discouraging universities from charging £9,000. This plan, designed to allow the government to keep on top of the cost of student loans,
has resulted in the University of Sheffield being unable to fill all of its undergraduate places. The University has seen a fall of more than 600 undergraduate students this academic year.
A spokesperson for the University of Sheffield said:
“For the academic year 2012/13 there are about 600 fewer home undergraduate students than the University originally planned for.
“Recruitment figures for all undergraduate students are not finalised until December 1.
“It is not known by how much, or even if, this will impact on what is available for outreach and recruitment until the University receives the final figure for what will be spent on bursaries.”
Issue 52Friday November 2 2012
@ForgePress
The independent student newspaper of the University of Sheffield. Est. 1946. FREE
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INSIDE:mIchaEl mcINtyrE/hBO’S GIrlS/SPEctOr/thE lEaDmIll/BlOO 88/S.l.u.G.S/Star warS
Fuse review: Skyfall, and the best ever Bond themes, p.8-9
Comment talk:Is Romney the better choice for the US? p.8
Sport meet: The Sheffield student set to be the next Ennis, p.28
Missing millions
Continued on p.3
4Shortfall of 600 students will leave the University millions out of pocket
4Government ‘meddling’ could spell disaster for higher education sector
Continued on p.4
M e d i a H u b , U n i o n o f S t u d e n t s , We s t e r n B a n k , S h e f f i e l d , S 10 2 T G 0114 2 2 2 8 6 4 6 / / f o r g e p r e s s @ f o r g e t o d ay. c o m
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dEPUtY Editor Rowan Ramsden
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WEB Editor Adam Harley
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HEad of VisUalsAdam Harley
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lifEstYlE & traVEl [email protected] Olivia Adams Laura Davies
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Arts network hopes to paint ‘happy and healthy’ hospitals
Blomfield’s beer gets Commons approvalJames Donnelly
Paul Blomfield MP joined students from the University of Sheffield’s Real Ale Society last Friday in brewing a ‘Bees Knees’ ale.
With the MP’s help, students created a four per cent bitter ale at Blue Bee Brewery in the Neepsend area of Sheffield.
In order to help publicise the beer, students got in touch with the Sheffield Central MP who then promised to get ‘Bees Knees Bitter’ featured as a guest ale in the House of Commons bar.
The Labour MP said: “It’s not everyday that the opportunity to brew beer comes along, so I was delighted when Sheffield University’s Real Ale Society asked me to join in with their brewing.
“ S h e f f i e l d ’ s growing
micro-brewing industry is a real local success story so the plan is to promote this success by having the beer sold at Westminster as well as across Sheffield.”
With Mr Blomfield in attendance, Real Ale Society members teamed up with brewers to put the finishing touches on the brewing process by adding hops to the brew.
Later, Paul Blomfield confirmed the student beer would be featured as a guest ale in the House of Commons.
Nathan Rodgers, president of the Real Ale & Cider Society, was keen to highlight the benefits of Real Ale to Sheffield.
He said: “Real Ale is clearly a significant part of the cultural and economic life of Sheffield,
a former heavy industry city now forging itself into a
more artistic and cultural city.”
Real Ale has seen a boom in the Sheffield economy. In recent years, Sheffield has become a favourite with Real Ale aficionados, with its variety of beers leading some to call it the ‘Real Ale Capital’ of Britain.
Chloe, 8, attending an Artfelt workshop
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Volunteers in Bummit showcase
Salma Haidrani
Over 200 Brighton-bound hitchhikers from the University of Sheffield took part in a Bummit showcase on October 24.
Held at the Zone in the Students’ Union, the showcase celebrated Bummit’s 10-year achievement in raising record amounts of money annually for local charities in Sheffield as well as further afield.
In 2011, Bummit raised a record-breaking £90,000 as students hitchhiked to Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of Big Bummit’s annual hitchhike race to a European city.
The showcase began by honouring students for raising £75,000 for 2011’s Baby Bummit trip to Glasgow for charities such as Stop Gap, a night shelter scheme which provides short-term accommodation for rough sleepers in Sheffield.
Representatives of Bummit’s chosen charities thanked students for their fundraising
efforts, with Stop Gap using the money to provide accommodation for 95 homeless people in Sheffield.
Later in the evening, student hitchhikers, who have raise at least £65 minimum to participate in this year’s Baby Bummit hike to Brighton, were invited to meet the representatives of Bummit’s four chosen charities: Haven House, which provides safe and temporary accommodation for victims of domestic abuse; Broomhall Breakfast, which offers a free breakfast for homeless and vulnerable people every Friday morning; Cecily’s Fund, which offers education to orphaned children in Zambia and the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
All delivered a short speech about the current projects of their charities in an open microphone session, explaining where all the money will be spent.
The Sheffield Children’s Hospital said they hope to build a new play area.
Aidan Phillips
Wellbeing initiative Artfelt will be working alongside the University of Sheffield in a new arts network being launched today.
Artfelt, a project funded by the Children’s Hospital Charity, is one of the existing projects being involved in the Sheffield Arts and Wellbeing Network.
The initiative involves using art to provide a comforting environment in hospitals.
Projects include art workshops for children and refurbishing hospital corridors to make them more appealing.
Cat Powell, manager of Artfelt, said: “Art brightens our hospital walls, makes our children smile and engages them in creative workshops.
“It is a great way to get children socialising, expressing and enjoying themselves.
“As well as with patients and visitors, we are constantly collaborating with artists and designers to work directly on improving our space.
“Surroundings have a powerful effect on how we feel, and that’s especially important in hospital
for the wellbeing of our patients, visitors and staff.”
Artfelt will be launched on Friday November 2 as part of the Sheffield Arts and Wellbeing Network which aims to improve lives through art.
Dr Brendan Stone, from the University of Sheffield, said: “The network will bring people together to share ideas and resources as well as celebrating the fantastic work already going on across the city in this area.”
Today’s launch event will take place between 8.30am and 4pm at the Tony Currie conference suite at Sheffield United Football Club.
Speakers include Dan Jarvis, shadow minister for Arts and Culture, and Alex Coulter, chair of the National Alliance for Arts and Wellbeing, who will be discussing the benefits of art to health and wellbeing.
Volunteers from Bummit at the showcase event
Lauren Clarke
The Students’ Union club nights will not admit anyone dressed as Jimmy Savile or Gary Glitter over the Halloween period.
Following an incident where a person dressed as Jimmy Savile entered the Students’ Union this week, the Union officers team decided that it would not be appropriate as these costume choices could cause offence.
Women’s officer, Amy Masson said: “We feel this is best for the wellbeing of staff and students.
“It is also not unprecedented for the Students’ Union to refuse entry to those in offensive fancy dress, as we already do this for anyone who ‘blacks up’.”
The decision was made out of respect for those in the student and staff community who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and exploitation.
Other nightclubs in the city are following suit.
A spokesperson from Crystal Bar said: “At the moment we would have to say no” to those wearing Savile costumes.
Embrace Nightclub said: “As far as I am aware we will not tolerate offensive costumes.”
Meanwhile, Plug said: “It would depend on how offended other people were, whether we would refuse entry to someone.”
Other nightclubs are more lenient, a spokesperson from the Leadmill said: “It wouldn’t be very nice for anyone to do that but we’d probably let them in.”
Jimmy Savile hit the headlines after sexual assault allegations against him surfaced last month and Gary Glitter has been arrested on suspicion of sex offences in relation to the Savile inquiry.
Savile costumes have also been banned in pubs and clubs across Nottingham, while retailers, including Asda have stopped selling them.
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
NEWS3
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83 students arrested in Sheffield in last three years over drugsJonathan Robinson
Figures obtained by Forge Press have revealed 83 students have been arrested in Sheffield over the last three years for offences of possessing and trafficking illegal drugs.
The most p o p u l a r offence was for possession of cannabis with a total of 115 students being found in possession of the Class B drug between January 2010 and October 2012.
Of the 115 students found in possession of the drug, 43 were
arrested and charged. The numbers are based on detainees who told
police that their occupation was an undergraduate or postgraduate student.
Universities Liaison Officer PC Bob Kenney said: “South
Yorkshire police works closely with
both universities to tackle drug use
among students. “If a student is caught in
possession of or using drugs by
officers on patrol or otherwise, the process followed is the same as for any member of the public.
“A person’s prior offences and the amount of drugs found is taken into account when determining the punishment.”
Cannabis was the most popular substance found in student possession across the three-year period, with more than 16 times as many students caught with it than those in possession of ecstasy and more than 38 times as those in possession of cocaine.
The next most popular drugs found in student possession included MDMA and cathinones.
So far in 2012, 17 students have been arrested and charged for drug offences.
Chris Hudson, a FRANK drugs expert, said: “While it is normal to be curious about what drug use is like, taking drugs, including legal highs, is never risk-free.
“Regular and long-term cannabis use can increase the risk of developing psychotic illnesses, including schizophrenia, make asthma worse, lead to lung cancer and its reported that it can cut a man’s sperm count and can suppress ovulation in women.
“Just using ecstasy once can raise the body’s temperature, cause convulsions and heart problems.”
A recent Home Office crime survey showed that one in three adults in say they have tried an illegal drug.
3630
17
2010 2011 2012
Cannabis = 115............................................................................................ Ecstasy / MDMA = 7
..................................................................................................... Cathinones = 7
................................................................................................................. Cocaine = 3
Number of individuals arrested for drug offences who identified themselves as a ‘student’
Number of times and type of drugs found in student possession between 2010-12
Number of students found in possession of cannabis
Forge in brieF
New Leaf will not return despite petition
Students calling on New Leaf to return to the Students’ Union have been left disappointed after it was confirmed the healthy food outlet will not return this academic year.
SU Development officer, Sara Moon, told councillors at the year’s first meeting of Union council that New Leaf would only return after the completion of University House.
She said: “Unfortunately, we can’t have New Leaf back this year.
“The Students’ Union is undergoing a massive development. We are going to see disruptions this year but it will be better in the long run.”
A petition had been proposed to find a temporary venue for New Leaf on the concourse due to the absence of healthy eating options in the Students’ Union.
Moon told councillors that she was working on plans to introduce a ‘salad express’ unit in Interval but, when asked, could not confirm when it would be installed.
58 people had signed an online petition on the Union website calling for the outlet to return.
New Leaf closed early this semester along with several other outlets to allow for building work.
Jonathan Robinson
Postgraduates ‘unready’ for modern economy
Leading figures in education, business and politics have criticised UK universities, saying that they are not doing enough to prepare postgraduate students for the modern economy.
According to a report by the Higher Education Commission, the UK is not producing enough highly-trained graduates to meet the demands of specialised industries such as science and technology.
It claims that the country is instead relying on the skills and expertise of international students to ‘plug the gaps’ in the skills of the British population.
Many of these students return home after they finish their courses, resulting in a ‘brain-drain’ in the UK.
It raises concerns that the UK’s economy will suffer if the government does not invest in home students and research.
The report recommends that UK research projects in various disciplines are regularly compared with those undertaken by students in competitor nations, to make sure that Britain remains at the forefront of quality research.
Lizzie Palmer
2011
47
2010
492012
(so far)
19
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Union club nights ban Savile costumes
STUDENT DRUG USE IN SHEFFIELD: THE FACTS
BANNED
Photo: Joseph Hayward
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F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
NEWS4
Continued from p.1
In the ‘core and margins’ model, universities charging more than £7,500 have been stripped of 20,000 places, so those charging under this sum can bid for a greater allocation. Universities charging higher fees can increase their quota of ‘core’ students by decreasing their fee levels.
This has left the University of Sheffield with only 1,300 places for students with less than AAB grades at A-level. The remaining 3,200 places were intended to be made up of “high-achieving” applicants, but these were not filled.
Intake for this academic year was down by over 600 students, even after all but three departments entered clearing for the first time to attempt to find AAB students.
While admitting the policy is an “effective means for reducing the cost of loans”, a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI)
said: “The price is a heavy one in terms of the sacrifice of an approach based on the market, choice and competition in favour of state control over fees and student numbers.”
Until now, universities have been reluctant to reveal the figures until they are obligated to in January. The University of Sheffield has seen a 13.3 per cent drop, the highest proportion released so far, with over 600 places empty, figures known to the University for some time.
In January, the sector will be forced to publish its figures for this academic year, with all universities except Southampton keeping quiet on their worrying financial situation until this week.
As Forge Press went to print, institutions including Bolton and Salford have revealed that they have also suffered a drop in numbers leading to millions in fees lost to universities in Greater Manchester.
Blomfield MP said: “Many top
universities have been hit by the government’s new student number rules. The Select Committee on Business Innovation and Skills, of which I’m a member, warned the Secretary of State, Vince Cable, not to introduce these changes in the same year as the massive hike in tuition fees.
“We said it would cause instability in the sector and, sadly, we were right. I reminded him of this when he was in front of us this week and he was forced to accept that their changes have had a negative impact.”
With what Blomfield described as “instability” in the sector, ministers will have to consider either slashing student numbers, or renegotiating student loan repayments on different terms.
In a change to the policy next year, the threshold for core and margins will be lowered to ABB.4,500 undergraduate
places
1,300 core places
3,200 AAB+ places
‘Dr Death’ takes over as University council chairJonathan Robinson
A former steel industry executive nicknamed ‘Dr Death’ for his close association with bad news has been appointed as the new chair of the University of Sheffield council.
Tony Pedder will take over the role from Kathryn Riddle in August 2013, after she completes a second term of office.
Mr Pedder was chief executive of the Anglo-Dutch steelmaker, Corus, until he was fired from the role in 2003.
During his time at the company, he was nicknamed ‘Dr Death’ by his employees for his part in the cull of over 10,000 jobs.
He left the company following the collapse of a key aluminium deal, and received a £550,000 payoff.
The University of Sheffield made the announcement that Mr Pedder will take over the role last week.
A spokesperson from the University said: “Tony Pedder was chosen to serve as chair of council because of his broad experience in a range of organisations, in both the private and public sectors.
“This includes his work for the NHS and our University, where he has served on a wide range of committees and working groups in a voluntary capacity over many years.”
The spokesperson did not comment on Mr Pedder’s association with job cuts in his previous role.
Mr Pedder has served as a Member of the University council since 2005.
Tony PedderThe Palestine Society
campaigning during election week
“We are free today in this land because so many of our friends throughout the world supported us... [Students] were able to change the moral compass in your country...”
Nobel Peace Laureate Desmond Tutu is better placed than most to comment on the success students can have by standing in solidarity with oppressed and persecuted peoples throughout the world.
In the recent council elections, students at our University voted overwhelmingly to do just that.
The call for BDS was made in 2005 by a cross-section of Palestinian civil society, inspired by the impact of a similar boycott campaign against South Africa at the height of apartheid rule.
It asks people of conscience to launch boycotts, implement divestment initiatives, and demand sanctions against Israel.
The campaign will continue until Israel recognises its obligation to accord the Palestinian people their basic human rights.
The BDS movement has seen significant backing from many prominent South African activists. This is unsurprising, with commentators drawing worrying comparisons between the treatment of Palestinians and that of black South Africans.
Imprisonment without trial, torture of prisoners, regular harassment at checkpoints that restrict freedom of movement; any one of these crimes can be attributed equally to the Israeli occupying force and the South African Apartheid security forces.
The BDS campaign is still in its infancy, but it is gathering pace. By our Union seizing the initiative, we have perhaps helped to start the needle swinging once more.
Charlie Crerar COMMENT
Uni refuses to end Veolia contract despite Israel boycott breachJonathan Robinson
The University’s Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) have refused to terminate their waste management contract with Veoilia, despite it breaching the Union’s newly adopted boycott of companies complicit in the occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Veoilia Environnement, a French-owned multinational company, is currently responsible for the collection of bins at the University.
However, the organisation’s transport subsidiary has links to building tram networks connecting Israeli settlements to occupied Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem.
This involvement breaches the ‘End the Israeli Occupation’ motion, which was passed by students last month via a referendum.
A spokesperson from the University said: “The University’s contract with Veolia is due to expire in March 2013. There are no current plans to cancel this contract – to do so without replacement provision in place would mean the Student Residences would be without a contractor to remove waste for a minimum of three months.”
According to EU Public Procurement Regulations, any replacement provision must take place a minimum of three months in advance.
However, the University of Sheffield’s Palestine society had called on the University to terminate its contract with Veolia last year.
Omar Jadallah, president of the society, said: “We did not ask the University to terminate the [Veolia] contract before the renewal date.
“Our aim was to urge the University to deny Veolia an extension of its existing contract by preventing it from bidding for its renewal.
“We made that clear last year when we discussed this issue and the member of staff we spoke to at the time sounded sympathetic to our cause.”
Students’ Union development officer, Sara Moon, said she will now lobby the University to stop the renewal of the contract.
She said: “The recent SU referenda result proved how much students care about the plight of the Palestinian people. This cannot be swept under the carpet.
“The conversations we have had with ACS in the past on this issue have been quite positive and I am extremely disappointed to see they are not taking the student voice into account.
“For the University to do ‘business as usual’ with a company complicit in illegal occupation and apartheid is irresponsible.
“We will do everything we can to remind the University to put their moral action where their mouth is.”
The University told Forge Press that any new contract needed to be in place three months in advance due to EU regulations, which means any new deal must be struck by December at the
latest.In an open letter to the University, the
Palestine society said: “We urge you to follow the examples set by the large number of UK public authorities that have decided not
to award Veolia contracts.“It is important
to stress that a large number of students
and academics feel unhappy about the prospect of renewing the contract with Veolia.”
Last month, over 66 per cent of voters in the referendum voted in favour of the Union joining the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) campaign against
Israel.Of the 3,303 students who
voted in the election, 2,194 voted in favour, while 689 (20.9 per cent) abstained and 420 (12.7 per cent) voted against.
It means the Union can lobby the University to end contracts with companies involved in the occupation of the Palestinian territories and war crimes.
Since the passing of the referendum the University’s contract had been in doubt.
The Veolia-backed tram link has attracted international controversy, after the UN Human Rights council declared it illegal in April 2010.
The UK was one of 44 countries which voted against the building of the transport link.
The Union’s boycott follows similar motions adopted by Dundee University and the London School for Economics, which ended their contracts with Eden Springs for their involvement in sourcing water from Salukia spring in the occupied Golan Heights.
Higher education in placement turmoil
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F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
NEWS5
SCIENCE & TEChNology
Commission calls for overhaul of postgraduate loan system Lizzie Palmer
The Independent Higher Education Commission has urged the government to address a ‘credit crisis’ caused by the lack of available funding for Master’s students.
In a report published on October 23, the commission recommended that a senior level task force is set up to look into the possibility of a state-backed postgraduate loan scheme, similar to the undergraduate model being introduced in 2015.
The scheme would be targeted at those who would not otherwise have the means to pay for courses.
Bursaries are scarce, and in a study carried out by the commission it was found that the vast majority of Master’s students received no financial support towards the cost of their tuition.
Prospective postgraduates who cannot afford to fund their studies currently have the option of taking out a Professional and Career Development Loan.
Repayments generally start one month after completion of the course, regardless of financial means or employment status, and interest rates can be high.
Professor Paul White, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the University of Sheffield said: “The University supports the
proposal raised in the Higher Education Commission report for the government to examine the feasibility of a postgraduate student loan scheme to ensure cost is not a barrier to education.”
The report found that many students are deterred by the risk of accruing ‘real debt’ in an uncertain economic climate, which they do not know when they will be able to pay back.
The commission has also expressed concerns that fees for postgraduate courses will steadily increase to bring them in line with the £9,000 per year charged for undergraduate degrees, stretching resources even further.
Opal Mattila, Students’ Union councillor representing research postgraduates said: “It seems many postgraduate programmes here are being kept alive by international students with external funding.
“Some departments had over 50 applicants fighting for three or four funded places last year.
“If Britain believes student loans are acceptable for undergraduates, perhaps it’s time to extend them to postgraduates to prevent potential students from taking out private bank loans at much higher interest rates, or being priced out entirely.”
For comment, read p.9
Empty seats after low turnout for Econsoc Careers Week
Lecturer suspended after speaking out about controversial research Lauren Clarke
A professor was suspended from his research after mentioning a controversial issue.
Stuart Macdonald retired from his position as Professor of Information and Organisation last year, but is still waiting to hear why his research was suspended despite putting in a grievance complaint to the University.
During a discussion on research ethics and integrity in July 2010 for the University of Sheffield Management School, Prof Macdonald mentioned the controversial research of Prof Richard Eastell, who was investigated in 2005 for publishing findings on an osteoporosis drug without having full access to the drug’s trial data.
He was told in an email: “Your research, now discovered, should be suspended.”
Although Prof Macdonald was not looking into the controversial data, he stopped all research.
Two weeks later he received another email from the chair of the research ethics committee saying that the suspension had been a ‘mistake’.
Prof Macdonald initiated a grievance complaint but it was dismissed.
He believes that the suspension was unfair because it did not follow the University’s procedure, which requires oral and written warnings before a suspension.
Prof Macdonald also claimed that it was detrimental to academic freedom because it punished him for mentioning something that was in the public domain.
He said: “The more pressure I have applied, the more intransigent the University has become.
“It struck me that my complaint was so clear that the University must eventually see sense and I had no wish to cause it any embarrassment.”
In a statement, the University said: “The issues being raised by Professor MacDonald relate to 2010. At no stage was Professor MacDonald suspended from carrying out research. He was asked to suspend any research he was carrying out that did not have prior ethics approval in line with the University’s internal procedures.
“The University was able to quickly satisfy itself that Prof MacDonald was not carrying out any research that did not have prior ethics approval and as far as it was concerned the matter was swiftly resolved.”
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SHEFFIELD NEWS Researchers develop pollution-eating laundry detergent
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have collaborated with the London College of Fashion to develop an additive that, when added to clothes, could help reduce air pollution.
When you wash your clothes in the additive, called ‘CatClo’, the tiny particles it contains grip tightly to the fabric.
When these particles come into contact with nitrogen oxides, a common cause of air pollution, a chemical reaction occurs in the fabric which removes the oxides from the air.
The scientists behind ‘CatClo’ believe that just one person wearing clothes treated with the additive could remove the same amount of nitrogen oxides from the air as an average family car releases in a day.
‘CatClo’ is in the process of being commercialised but in the future could help the environment just by wearing (and finally washing) your favourite jumper.
Emily Berry
UK NEWSHospital performs first surgery using robotic arm
New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton has performed the first ever robotic open-heart operation in Britain.
Remotely controlled by surgeons with a 3D, high-definition camera, Natalie Jones, 22, from Stourbridge, had the 3.5cm hole in her heart repaired by the Da Vinci Robot.
Heart surgeons have given the robot backing, saying patients recover quicker with less scarring.
New Cross Hospital hopes to carry out the complex heart surgery up to 30 times a year, along with other procedures.
However with each of the robot’s four arms costing £2,000 and having to be replaced after every ten operations, the robot must be used with limitations.
The UK is just the third country in Europe to perform open-heart surgery with a robot.
Alys Rudling
FACTBOX: BONFIRE NIGHTThe science behind fireworks
Sparklers reach temperatures in excess of 1600C - five times hotter than cooking oil.Three sparklers together generate the same heat as a blowtorch.A rocket can reach 150 miles an hour.
Aidan Phillips
An open debate for the Economics Society’s (Econsoc) Careers Week involving local MP Clive Betts as a speaker saw only a third of last year’s turnout attend.
The debate on Friday October 26, which focused on the economics of the Olympics, saw 17 students attend, compared to a similar event last year which saw around 60.
Another Careers Week event ‘Sponsor’s Evening’ on Thursday October 25 saw a similar low turnout.
Econsoc co-president Ryan Warburton said before the events they had been hoping for between 50 and 100 students at both evenings.
He said he was disappointed with the numbers compared to last year. “Everything’s ran really well this week, it’s just the turnout that’s let us down.”
Econsoc co-president Megan Ratcliffe agreed, describing this year’s Careers Week as “a learning curve for Econsoc.”
“The turnout has been unfortunate, but if a couple of people were inspired or learnt something from it then we’ve achieved something.”
Organised by Connor Barnes, Friday’s open debate was chaired by secretary of the University of
Sheffield Debating Society Adam Hawksbee.
Speakers for the event included MP for Sheffield South East Clive Betts, University of Sheffield Professor of Economics Paul Mosley, and Forge Press sports editor Adam Hancock.
Corporate Director of Careers Week Ed Saul said: “We’ve been successful with the people we’ve managed to get in.
“Even though the turnout was disappointing, the debate was really good fun and we’re hoping to do more over the year.”
As part of the Higher Education Participation Program, the debate was filmed with intentions to show it to sixth-form students.
Economics lecturer Anita Ratcliffe said the scheme was “trying to get more students involved in economics as well as promoting university to those who would otherwise not consider coming.”
Thursday’s Sponsor’s Evening saw representatives from Econsoc sponsors Deloitte, RBS and Teach First give presentations on their company’s graduate scheme programmes.
University of Sheffield student Tammy praised Econsoc’s efforts this year.“They’ve done such a good job in organising such good events.
“I’ve learnt useful information
about internships and CV writing as well as improving my skills in communication and finance.”
Megan Ratcliffe said: “The aim of Careers Week is to provide our members with services directly linked to fields they strive towards.”
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NEWS6
NatioNal News
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Five million in the UK not paid a living wage
A recent report by KPMG has revealed five million workers in the UK don’t get paid a living wage, the pay rate that allows people a basic standard of living.
KPMG documents that 90 per cent of bar staff, 85 per cent of waiters and waitresses, and 780,000 retail workers don’t earn enough for the cost of living.
“Paying a living wage makes a huge difference to individuals and their families, and yet does not actually cost an employer much more,” says Marianne Fallon, head of living wage-providing KPMG corporate affairs.
This news comes in spite of efforts made to implement the living wage in place of the minimum wage by many organisations, including in the University of Sheffield Students’ Union.
David Slade
UK government will not seek EU advice on Scotland
The UK government will not ask the European Commission’s thoughts on whether an independent Scotland would remain a member of the EU.
This comes despite a statement from the commission saying it would offer legal advice if asked by any member state with an ongoing independence issue.
The SNP has said if the country votes for independence in 2014 then it would automatically remain an EU member.
Jonathan Robinson
Met plans to sell New Scotland Yard
The Metropolitan Police are planning to sell New Scotland Yard in an attempt to save £500m by 2015.
The proposal would see the headquarters move to a smaller building in Whitehall, but is waiting for approval after being submitted to the Mayor’s Office for Police and Crime (MOPAC) this month.
Police stations in Richmond, Willesden Green, Highbury Vale, Walthamstow, and south Norwood have already been approved for sale.
John Tully, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, compared the plans to sell the headquarters to losing the ‘crown jewels’.
He said: “Thousands of people work at New Scotland Yard and it seems to me that there will be a lot of incremental costs to relocate people.”
Coral Williamson
Yvette Tan
Ghosts, ghouls and flesh eating zombies were some of the creatures that came out to play at Britain’s ‘biggest and bestest’ Halloween Carnival, Fright Night.
Thousands of visitors flocked
to the city centre on Sunday in their scariest costumes in search of fun fair rides, street entertainment, and a bite of candy floss.
From the fire wielding jugglers to the line of dancing monsters, Fright Night managed to wow both adults and children alike
with its impressive lineup of programs throughout the night.
For the bold hearted, the haunted house tours or ghost train ride beckoned, whereas hungry grizzlies were fed and fuelled with the likes of French crêpes and chocolate fondue.
Speaking at the event, Fright
Night organiser Scott Barton said: “It is great to see so many people enjoying themselves. It is a rare occasion where people from Sheffield gather together with the sole purpose of having a good night of fun and fears.”
Jack Knight
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said his recent apology over student fees was not done “in order to curry favour with anyone.”
The Lib Dem leader also acknowledged that errors had been made over the recent London Met visa scandal. Thousands of international students had their university places threatened when the University’s visa licence was revoked in August under new student visa policy.
Clegg told Forge Media: “I think it is fair to say that a lot of the noise, a lot of the political
rhetoric on the case of London Met has raised question marks in the minds of people in Asia and elsewhere, who might be thinking of studying in the UK, about whether they still can.”
This admission comes after a 21 per cent drop in study visas to the UK and some Russell Group institutions have experienced a fall of one-fifth in applications from Indian students.
Craig Calhoun, the new director of the London School of Economics, said the
government’s handling of the London Met scandal was an event that had “played in places like India as gratuitous assault on, and insult to, Indian
students.”However, Mr Clegg
said that there was no numerical limit on international students.
He argued the problem is as much about perception as it is about policy and that the UK should seek to show the world “that we don’t pull
the drawbridge up.”On the subject of
the Lib Dem’s s t u d e n t
unpopularity, Mr Clegg said: “I think the gap that now exists between what we are alleged to be doing and what is actually going to happen is so huge.
“I hope that fair-minded students over time will see that the system is a whole lot fairer than it’s alleged to be.”
A recent NUS survey found that only one in 10 students were more likely to vote for Clegg after his apology.
The Lib Dems are now in fourth place in national student polls, 0.3 per cent behind the Green Party.
To hear the full interview, visit forgeradio.com
Spook-tacular Fright Night draws thousands to city celebrations
Clegg: Student fees apology not to ‘curry favour’FORGE MEDIA MEETS NICK CLEGG
Fire service campaign to reduce student blazes Jessica Pitocchi
The fire service are giving away takeaway vouchers to Sheffield students as part of a new campaign to raise awareness of fire safety.
South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are offering £300 in takeaway vouchers to students who test their knowledge of fire safety on a Facebook quiz to be launched November 5.
Fire bosses are hoping the prize vouchers, which are being donated by Just Eat, will be an incentive to help to reduce the number of house fires in student
properties.Diane Malpass, head of
Community Safety, said: “Our message to students is simple. If
you’ve had too much to drink, don’t go home and try to cook.
“Too many fires start when someone has passed out, leaving a pizza in the oven or a pan
on the hob and it can be fatal.“If students are planning
a big night out, they should plan on having a takeaway on the way home.”
The fire service went to 115 incidents in student properties
last year. Although three quarters turned out to be false alarms, the rest were nearly all kitchen fires.
The South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue quiz will be available at: http://facebook.com/southyorkshirefire
Fire safety tips:-•Never cover up smoke alarms – they give you vital extra seconds to escape if a fire starts;•Don’t overload electrical sockets – strip adaptors are safest but only take up to 13 amps;•Put out cigarettes properly and never smoke in bed.
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
NEWS7
world News
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POLICE AND CRIME COMMISSIONER ELECTIONS
What’s on your mind?Comment on this article:@forgepress
Will Bailey
Elections for Police and Crime Commissioners are to be held this month.
Voters across England and Wales will have the chance to elect a local Commissioner, who will be in office for four years.
On Thursday November 15, the elections will be held in all 41 police force areas outside London, with nearly 200 candidates, both representatives of political parties and independents, standing.
The new PCCs will take on the responsibilities of current councillor-run police authorities and their responsibilities include setting budgets, determining crime reduction strategies, engaging with local communities, and hiring and firing the chief constable of the force.
The minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, Damian Green, said: “This puts the public at the heart of policy
making.“These are historic elections
and those who are successful will be pioneers in this new policing landscape.”
With the elections drawing nearer there are fears that a lack of public understanding regarding the new role will lead to a poor turnout at the polls.
The Electoral Reform Society has predicted a turnout as low as 18.5 per cent, with chief executive Katie Ghose warning that the elections are in danger of “turning into a farce.”
With representation a central part of the role’s introduction, a turnout of less than one in five would greatly weaken the mandate of the new PCCs.
For more information on local candidates, visit www.choosemypcc.org.uk.
PCC candidates across the UK
Elections to be held this monthLow turnout expected
Call for more tram-trains Tour de Yorkshire bid
Eve Betts
A call for more tram-trains to be introduced to a host of other rail lines if the trial routes between Sheffield and Rotherham are a success has been put forward by local MP Clive Betts.
Sheffield’s South East MP Mr Betts has asked Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin to ensure funding is available to allow a ‘rapid expansion’ of the mode of transport to fund electrifying more lines around Sheffield.
The £58m scheme between Meadowhall, Rotherham and Sheffield will be the UK’s first
tram-train service.The two-year pilot scheme will
start in 2015.Mr Betts said: “If the scheme
is successful, as I am sure it will be, rolling it out will depend on having under-used rail lines electrified.”
Tram-trains have already been successful in Europe and other UK cities such as Manchester will be looking into the success of the scheme.
Tram-trains around the city are hoped to help reduce congestion and are expected to cut journey times and ease public access to shops and work places.
Ella Lynch
Yorkshire is bidding to be part of the 2014 Tour de France route as part of the Grand Depart, the race’s start.
The 2013 route was announced last week and a meeting in Paris to discuss future Grand Depart hosts was held.
If the bid succeeds the 400km route will include Scarborough, York, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.
Andrew Denton from Welcome to Yorkshire said: “If we are successful in 12 months time we would be part of that announcement.”
Welcome to Y o r k s h i r e has led the campaign to stage the world-famous cycling race in either 2014 or 2016.
Yorkshire faces competition from Scotland which also hopes to stage the Grand Depart.
“We think there is an appetite for cycling in the UK and see no reason why the UK could not become like the Benelux countries who are regularly used as locations for Le Tour.”
Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “We have the backing of some of British Cycling’s biggest names in Mark Cavendish and Ben Swift, as well as Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy.
“They know what a great location Yorkshire is for Le Tour. Yorkshire is the spiritual home of
British cycling.”After Bradley Wiggins’
victory this year, which made him the first ever Brit
to win the Tour, followers could see him in action right on
their doorstep.Welcome to
Yorkshire will hear if they have been successful by February.
Alison Kwan, First-Year Sociology
“I know I am eligible to vote and have heard about it, but I do not think it has been promoted enough.”
David Edwards, First-Year Medicine
“I do not know anything about the elections apart from getting a voting slip through the post. It would be good if we knew more.”
Eddie Bryan, Electronics and Electrical Engineering
“I’m counting the votes in Beaconsfield. It is to put the power back in the hands of the electors.”
Katy Best, First-Year English Literature
“I know the elections are on November 15. I have never voted before so I’m looking forward to doing so.”
Vox-pop: Eve Betts
Labour
Conservative
Liberal Democrat
UKIP
English Democrats
Green Party
British Freedom Party
Other
South Yorkshire PCC candidates
Shaun Wright•Labour councillor for 12 years and former vice-chair of South Yorkshire police authority.•Wants resources concentrated on frontline services rather than red tape.
Robert Teal •Liberal Democrat and a businessman from Barnsley.•Aims to cut down waste and direct funds at frontline services.
Nigel Bonson•Conservative and former Chief
Inspector of Greater Manchester police for 30 years.•Wants to give safety back to the public by strengthening the police force.
Jonathan Arnott•UKIP General Secretary•Believes that the criminal justice system should protect local people and deter criminals from offending.
David Allen •English Democrat and sales manager for a minerals company in Doncaster.•Believes that the policing budget should not be cut.
What do you know about the Police and Crime Commissioner elections?
Japan misspends tsunami relief money
It has emerged that around a quarter of Japan’s £148 billion aid money in the wake of the 2011 tsunami has been spent on unrelated projects such as promoting a new radio mast and funding a controversial whaling program.
A government audit found money had been spent on projects outside the disaster zone.
This is despite the fact that 325,000 people out of the 340,000 evacuated remain displaced, and large swathes of the coastline are yet to be rebuilt or even cleared of debris.
Iain Gale
Polish rape victim compensated after hospital harassment
Poland has been ordered to pay a teenage girl and her mother €61,000 (£49,000) as compensation, after she was refused a legal abortion in a hospital following harassment from pro-life groups.
The girl became pregnant in 2008 after she was raped at the age of 14, which should had fitted Poland’s abortion law.
Abortion in Poland is only allowed in cases of rape, incest or if the life of the mother or foetus is in danger.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled the girl should have had unhindered access to an abortion.
Huang Yanlin
Halloween postponed in New Jersey following Sandy
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Halloween has been officially postponed in New Jersey until November 5 to allow for the festivities.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said: “I’ve taken this action to minimise additional risks to lives and the public safety as we begin the process of rebuilding and recovering from Hurricane Sandy.”
Christie signed an executive order delaying the holiday to Monday.
Towns across America have followed suit as clean-up operations begin.
Susannah Bowskill
The tsunami struck in March 2011
In 2008, Barack Obama won a near landslide election, based on messages of hope and change; the attitude of ‘Yes we can’. Four years later, Americans are saying ‘No we can’t’.
Guantanamo Bay is still open, healthcare is nowhere near where it was promised to be, and the economic situation is felt to be the same as 2008. The USA is made up of 300 million citizens facing tough economic and social struggles – whether their business failed in 2008 or they want to be able to marry the person they love, regardless of gender.
The US public feel like their president has failed them in the last four years and are looking for another alternative. Mitt Romney has a five-point plan promising to ‘create jobs’ and ‘cut the deficit’ that may be similar to what George W. Bush did when he was in office, something that pulled the world into the biggest recession since the Great Depression. We know it doesn’t work, but with an impressive run as governor of Massachusetts, he has become the new torchbearer of hope and change.
During his term as governor, Mitt Romney used his position to provide universal healthcare– a piece of legislation unique to Massachusetts and something not proposed since Harry
Truman in 1948. Ted Kennedy strongly supported Romney’s healthcare bill that helped the uninsured get insurance affordably.
Yet he rejects Obama’s healthcare reforms and wants to take Medicare and turn it into a voucher system when it is still one of the most popular Great Society programs passed in the 1960s. It doesn’t make sense.
Is his position because he believes in a state’s right to pass healthcare laws rather than a federal government passing the same law on a national scale? A state’s rights to make legislation different to another’s is unequivocally important, it’s the reason Oregon has euthanasia and Texas does not; why Virginia doesn’t allow guns near school buildings and why in Alabama it is illegal to wear a funny fake moustache in church. The 10th amendment protects these state rights to the nth degree, as long as it is not against the federal constitution.
Or is it because to oppose healthcare reform on a national scale would gain support from Republicans? This seems likely, because whilst he supports a state’s rights in relation to healthcare, he also supports a federal amendment to ban a state’s right to allow same sex marriage – a well-known conservative stance and proposal.
In Massachusetts, Romney eliminated a $1.5 billion deficit during his four-year tenure, but
the national deficit is close to $16 trillion; whilst this sounds an impressive achievement, the comparative figures are very different.
His economic plan doesn’t set out adequate provisions to eliminate this deficit. At state level he didn’t have a defence budget to contend with, and the country as a whole is more diverse with more varied needs than a predominantly white, middle class state.
Romney’s focus on the strength of the individual to pull themselves out of the rubble in a tired and struggling economy means that those on the bread line wouldn’t even get by if they did get a job.
But because he is a businessman, people trust him to sort out the country efficiently and conservatively, which, in a generally right wing country is what people want – even if that means the working and lower classes are stretched beyond their means. He is leading on issues like the deficit and fixing the economy, the former being a 13 point lead against President Obama.
On the flip side, the Obamas seem compassionate and understanding, because they come from less than
privileged backgrounds and the president is leading on all of the social issues that matter to Americans, like gay marriage, healthcare, sustainable energy and foreign policy – the latter being something that is sure to increase after his winning performance in the third debate.
Obama has helped the US economy recover slowly but steadily, with job creation going up since 2010 year on year. Furthermore, new figures released on October 27 show that America’s Gross Domestic Product has grown by two per cent, something that was certainly not expected by economists, nevermind Mitt Romney.
A tweet from Jim Carrey really summed up this election and the choice the American public have to make this week.
‘One thing that’s always missing from the republican agenda, compassion toward your fellow man. With Obama I’ll pay more but I’ll sleep well [sic]’.
So they want tax cuts, they want a change, but do they want a man who wants to restrict Medicare and repeal a healthcare bill he originally pioneered and cut funding to the poorest - after all, why should the government pay for peoples’ own mistakes? If so, Mitt Romney must surely be their man.
Follow the race:forgetoday.com/USElectionstwitter.com/ShefUSElection
EmilyThompson
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COMMENT8
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‘The US public feel like their president
has failed them’
With the President and his Republican rival locked in a battle of endless political ads, the election remains a choice between disappointment and dangerous promises.
ENDGAME
FIGHTFOR
SWINGSTATES
Photo: Intel Photos/Flickr
When the United States of America head to the poll booths to elect a president, their votes aren’t just counted up and compared to see who’s the winner. Instead, the presidential candidates battle to win as many individual states as possible.
However, if one state equalled one vote, smaller states would exercise huge power over larger ones. To prevent this, the US’ Founding Fathers established the Electoral College - the institution that directly elects the president.
The Electoral College has 538 seats, which are divided among the 50 states in proportion to their respective population. This leaves populous states with a distinct advantage in deciding the outcome of the election.
Some, such as California, Texas and New York, tend to vote consistently for one party.
Others, such as Florida and Ohio, don’t: They are known as ‘swing states’. They are the battleground that will ultimately decide the outcome of the election in a deadlock between Democratic and Republican states.
The American electoral system is unique: In particularly tight races, the outcome is often decided through vital swing states. Forge Press explains.
in association with PolSoc
A report has found that a combination of higher tuition fees, banks being reluctant to lend, and overseas demand for postgraduate study in the UK has created the “perfect storm”.
The eight-month inquiry, published by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), has found that the current system is designed to attract overseas students to postgraduate study rather than home students, and warns of a “social mobility time-bomb”. The figures aren’t too pleasing either.
Since 1999, there has been a 200 per cent increase in postgraduate study for overseas students in the UK, compared to a modest 18 per cent for home students.
Tertiary education is driven by
money. Without a healthy input of cash, the system would not create fresh graduates each year with questionable liver health. But an ever changing labour market means that postgraduate education is just as important as an undergraduate degree in some industries.
Research is undeniably expensive. Students’ maintenance, fees and laboratory expenses all contribute to existing debt, but for a lucky few studentships cut out the hassle of applying for alternative funding via charities.
For the majority of us, we don’t have the Bank of Mum and Dad to support us through what is essentially a middle class academic limbo. Consequently, for those who have been recommended to pursue further study but cannot find the funding, they might as well wait for a golden ticket from a Wonka bar.
The able-minded are lured away from research to a well-paid job in the City. After all, it is hardly surprising that graduates don’t want to double their loan for an unguaranteed increase in earning power.
There are growing concerns that students, who have already started accruing debt under the new tuition fee system, will be put off postgraduate study in 2015. The report recommends a new state-backed loan scheme, similar to the current undergraduate scheme, if Britain is to achieve its target of
becoming the leading knowledge-based economy of the world.
An addition to the funding problem is that banks are reluctant to lend students money because they don’t have a proven track record of repaying debt. There are two banks, Barclays and Co-op who give genuine Professional and Career Development Loans, but the report found that in 2009-10 just 44 per cent were successful in their application.
A lack of homegrown postgraduate students means that firms seek their potential new recruits elsewhere. Before the hunt even begins, jobs have already been out sourced.
The report places an emphasis on “up-skilling the UK population, ensuring British students are able to compete in the global labour market”, but in the UK businesses and academia don’t have many joint postgraduate schemes
compared to the likes of Germany or the USA.
For universities, the attraction of higher tuition fees from overseas students brings more financial benefits. Without a high intake of these students, universities would not be able to offer as many services as they do today.
PhD students arguably have invaluable knowledge and expertise in their field, but do they have enough real-world experience to sustain a job in something other than research? In the UK, if you want to pursue further study, you are seen as someone who wants to avoid the real world for as long as you can. Overseas, it is seen as something to aspire to, and is a gateway to academia.
I think the UK has a warped sense of what we ought to aspire to be.
People who take gap years are labelled pretentious, hareem pant-wearing know-it-alls. The gap year itself is marked as ‘life defining’, being a chance to get away from home and do something extraordinary.
The current gap year trend sees students flocking to countries in Southeast Asia. The main point of call, although many travellers would not admit it, is the cheap alcohol and infamous ‘Full Moon’ parties. It is ironic that the set of The Beach (Maya Bay, Thailand)
is now riddled with backpackers posing for photos.
Backpackers want to go off the beaten track and ‘find themselves’ in a temple but visiting these tourist-ridden hotspots is contradictory to all their beliefs.
An illustration of terrible gap year behaviour is the popular activity of ubing, in Laos. This involves getting drunk on a rubber ring whilst floating through previously untouched villages.
There have been many incidences of serious injuries and even death, yet these activities are still popular.
People go on a gap year to experience a different culture, when in fact all they are doing is getting drunk in a foreign country,
as they would be doing on a Friday night in England.
Volunteering is another popular gap year pursuit. It gives students the opportunity to help people less fortunate than themselves, rather than galavanting around India on an elephant.
However, many of these volunteering projects are overpriced and often volunteers say how they feel ripped off. The gap year-industry is worth an estimated £6 billion, so no wonder companies are cashing in on students.
Students fork out thousands to ‘work’ on voluntary projects receiving little more than some interesting pictures for their
Facebook page. These thousands could be put to better use going straight to the root of the problems rather than a company giving ‘valuable gap year experiences’ to middle class students.
Not all voluntary projects are pointless though. Students can offer valuable skills and help underprivileged people in less fortunate areas. Privately organised volunteering is probably a safer bet, avoiding huge fees and getting a more hands on volunteering experience.
As tuition fees rise to over £9,000, students are choosing not to go to university. A suitable gap year can be a perfect way to gain valuable work experience,
giving you an opportunity to grow as a person and become more confident. Living and working in a foreign country gives individuals an interesting CV, a diverse skill set and a catalyst for conversation.
A working gap year is therefore becoming more popular, moving away from the traditional volunteering to actually pursuing work experience or an invaluable internship.
LianeLau
Our postgraduate loan system is a time-bomb
Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight?
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COMMENT9
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BenScull
‘Those who pursue further study might as well wait for a golden ticket from a Wonka
bar’
Why not just chunder in the UK?
Photo: jaywei80/Flickr
@forgecomment
/forgecomment
Student university papers are designed not only to circulate news relevant to the student community and wider happenings of the world, but also to serve as a platform for students to enter the otherwise inaccessible world of journalism.
These opportunities, however, can turn sour when student journalists are confronted with outrage and, in some cases, aggressive verbal abuse and threats.
The London Student, a student-run paper with a circulation of over 120,000 around various London campuses, has received a fair amount of stick these past few months. In September, an article debating non-gender specific facilities at LSE was denounced ‘incredibly offensive’ and ‘transphobic’.
When you read the article, it’s difficult to defend the LSE student David Wong, who compared gender neutral toilets to “some cheap strip club in the alleys of Bangkok”, blaming “neurotic
hippy parents raising their children genderless worldwide; forcing their sons to dress up as angels and play with Barbie dolls. Surely, denying a child the right to his gender identity is no more than child abuse.”
Whilst student papers are an opportunity to get your voice heard, when that voice is self-indulgently offensive and inconsiderate, it’s no surprise the editor was made to admit defeat and issue an apology.
More recently though, the retaliations have taken a turn for the worse. Members of the editorial team, as well as the company managing the print run, have been legally threatened, after allegedly misprinting a quote from Queen Mary’s Union president, Babs Williams. Perhaps we can overlook this fair response to writing that might otherwise
damage his reputation, but what can’t be forgiven is his excessive and downright outrageous overreaction.
During a Senate meeting, Babs personally confronted the team, calling them ‘fucking student journalist dickheads’ and threatening to continue the confrontation ‘outside of work hours’.
Student volunteers who give up their time to contribute to a valued, free student paper should never be subject to such intimidation and disgusting unprofessionalism.
Whilst I can understand the reaction to David Wong’s unthinking, very un-PC article, when the response becomes a personal attack on the journalists, especially during a democratic meeting, it amounts to petty bullying and childish verbal abuse.
Not to say we shouldn’t lay a fair amount of blame on the London Student, who would do better to double-check their articles, but student journalists, at any university, have a right to never feel threatened or belittled for what they write.
NickyCrane
‘Fucking student journalist dickheads’: London Student should not be threatened
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COMMENT10
In his speech on crime and justice, David Cameron distanced himself from the so-called ‘hug a hoodie’ policy of the past and pledged to carve out a fresh approach. However, the speech highlighted the difficulty of managing the internal splits within his Conservative Party more than it did outline an enlightened policy.
The slogan with which Cameron hopes to encapsulate his new policy is “tough but intelligent”. It may evoke the image of an erudite Ray Winstone, but what Cameron hopes to capture with this phrase is a coupling of long sentences for serious offenders with an expansion of rehabilitation programmes.
Although most people would agree that prison serves both to punish criminals and prevent them from reoffending, which of these is of more importance is contested.
Given that a simplistic “lock ‘em all up” approach stands at the beginning of a path leading to US-style mass incarceration, which is prohibitively expensive and wastes the opportunity to
reform prisoners, an intelligent rehabilitation-focussed approach is far more constructive.
Crucially though, the question of whether the balance should fall in favour of retribution or rehabilitation varies dramatically within the Conservative Party itself.
There is a striking difference between Ken Clarke, under whom incarceration rates dropped when he was Justice Minister, and his replacement David Willetts, whose lamentably populist ‘bash a burglar’ policy was the centrepiece of his Conservative party conference speech.
For Cameron to retain, or in some cases regain, the support of his party he must carefully tread the tightrope between the modernising faction within his party and the more right-wing Tories. Stressing that punitive and preventive approaches need not be incompatible, Cameron reassured his social conservative base that the “primary, proper response to crime is not explanations or excuses, it is punishment”, and that his
approach is not “liberal or wishy-washy”.
Then, appealing to his more centrist supporters, he argued that the most effective way to deal with crime is prevention.
To please both wings of his party is a tricky task, and in this instance Cameron failed it. Given that the thrust of his speech was the value of rehabilitating prisoners, Cameron has an unusual approach to prevention. Reducing crime purely through lowering reoffending rates is comparable to preventing household fires by installing sprinkler systems into homes which have had to be rebuilt after burning down. If prevention is the most effective approach to crime, he may wish to consider trying to lower the number of new offenders, too.
Adding to this the fact that no extra funds can be made available to extend rehabilitation programmes, and that by 2015 there will be 15,000 fewer police officers on our streets, Cameron appears to be spouting empty rhetoric when it comes to prevention.
Whilst depolarising the debate is helpful, beneath his words there was little to celebrate.
RichardWalker
Cameron on crime: It’s empty rhetoric
‘Student volunteers should never be
subject to intimidation and disgusting
unprofessionalism’
Recently, the names of 1,444 former and serving police officers were passed on to Independent Police Complaints Commission as part of the continuing investigations into the Hillsborough tragedy. The investigations are focussing on the findings of the Independent Hillsborough Panel Report that 164 police statements had been altered – 116 of which to remove negative comments about the policing of the FA Cup semi-final. The IPCC will now be moving to interview both current and former officers related to the incident and will review the potential criminality of the actions of those involved.
The release of the names is certainly a welcome step in showing the public that those responsible will be held accountable for their actions in the alleged failure to report police conduct during the disaster.
Also, the release confirms what many already suspected – that there is good reason to believe that the South Yorkshire police are guilty of a complete breach of public trust and lack of transparency in failing to correctly carry out their duties.
I believe most people will find it difficult to believe that the officers involved with the alteration of the police statements each independently took it upon themselves to sabotage the documents, it is apparent that the officers must have been acting as a collective with full knowledge of the intent of their actions.
While the officers involved must
certainly face legal consequences if indeed found guilty of criminal offences while operating within a public office, we must also bear in mind that ultimate accountability does not lie with them.
If anyone is to receive any closure with regards to the disaster, then the individual or group responsible for ordering officers to not report details of the event must be found and brought to face serious criminal proceedings for the roles they played in attempting to deflect blame for the tragedy on to Liverpool fans.
Alongside the release of the names of officers to the IPCC, it was also revealed that the Independent Hillsborough Panel Report found that 41 of the 96 who died in the disaster had the “potential to survive” if authorities had acted with better care and more swiftly.
While this news is deeply upsetting, it must serve as an example to police forces across the country to outline the cost of failures by authorities to correctly carry out their duties.
While investigations are continuing, I believe it is important for people not to instantly demonise the 1,444 officers who are being interviewed for their connection with this incident.
It is very unlikely many of these officers will have been involved in the alleged misreporting.
Although many will find their trust in the South Yorkshire police and other involved authorities shaken, we must remind ourselves that many officers from among their ranks were responsible for incredible acts of heroism and bravery during the tragic scenes of the Hillsborough disaster.
Hillsborough: Hold those in charge accountable
MichaelOwens
‘If anyone is to receive any closure, then those responsible for ordering
officers to not report details must be found’
‘We must remind ourselves that many were responsible for
acts of bravery’
‘Beneath his words there was little to
celebrate’
Editorial
Alisha Rouse - Forge Press editor [email protected]
This week, Leeds Student newspaper printed an interview with BNP leader Nick Griffin, someone who, I think we can all admit, is not a very nice man.
The interview was intelligent, sharp and served to demonstrate not only the journalist’s interviewing skills, but the rampant ignorance and populist idiocy that surrounds the BNP leader.
The NUS however, in their infinite wisdom, soon sent out an open letter: “We demand that the editor of Leeds Student remove this offensive interview that gives a platform to a fascist immediately.”
Not only, as Leeds Student soon pointed out, can they print whatever the hell they like, assuming its legal, but scrutinising extremist views can only help to expose the serious moral, ethical and in fact, intelligible flaws within them. Not only that, but the interview was damn good at doing so, an even better reason to print the piece than “freedom of speech”.
In attempting to exert power over an independent student newspaper, the NUS not only ostracized many students, but showed their total lack of respect for student journalists, and ended up giving Nick Griffin more exposure anyway.
‘No platform’, indeed.
NUS, Nick Griffin and Leeds Student newspaper
Forge Press takes its satirical aimD.A.R.T.S.
Sucking on tampons for a fuller flavour
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
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COMMENT11
A wise friend informed me a few weeks ago, “University is rarely about what you actually want to do, it’s about obligation, what you feel you should do”. Although I’d never viewed university life in this way before, it suddenly became crystal clear.
Casting my mind back over various alcohol-blurred memories of nights out from my first year in Sheffield, it was obvious I’d had a great time. From the sumo wrestling at Plug, to the late night takeaways and hilarious drunken chats, experiencing Sheffield’s nightlife for the first time is an undeniably fun experience.
Yet now for some of us who are now returning to Sheffers for another year of study, the prospect of going out on regular basis is about as tempting as an X Factor audition post-tracheotomy.
You see, it’s not that students have fallen out of love with Sheffield; or that there isn’t enough
for us to do. It’s just that, well, we’ve aged and matured.
Take, for instance, a recent night out when I had the misfortune of catching a brief glimpse of a fresher providing what can only be described as lap dance for a fairly drunk, borderline comatose male student to ‘Gangnam Style’.
Such horrific memories are memories so mentally scarring that you simply cannot erase them from your brain.
These events have helped me reach a turning point. No longer do I seek solace in an 80p drinks deal or themed bar crawl.
Instead, I’m more than happy with going for dinner, seeing a film or just sat at home catching up on some trashy television, although Sky Living’s Fat Pets, Fat Owners was a particular low point I’m not particularly proud of.
I know I’m not alone. A remarkable amount of my friends have also cancelled their plans - often a secret relief might I add - due to their supposed ‘workload’. Make no mistake, they’re dirty little liars.
I understand the stresses and strains of university academia; but no-one passes up a night out for reading unless they really don’t want to go out.
They’re obviously just doing exactly the same as I have also done recently, which is responding to a request for a night out with the generic “I’ve got loads of work to do” response, whilst secretly feeling all kinds of excited at the prospect of a night in watching such high-brow programming as Love on the Transplant List.
I’m not saying I hate nightclubs, it’s just that in the battle of Corp shirt versus pyjamas, we all know who will lose.
JamesNorman-Fyfe
It is only when you leave the bubble-like environment of school and attend university that you become fully aware of the strong ‘them-and-us’ culture that seems to exist between private and state schools.
University is undoubtedly one of the most diverse places a person will ever encounter; thousands of young people enrol from all over the country and congregate in one place to form a wonderfully varied student body. This also means that almost everybody you come into contact with during your university years will have inevitably come from a different background to your own.
According to government statistics and the Independent Schools Council, only seven per cent of children in the UK attend independent schools, meaning chances are that most people you meet will have come straight from public education.
As an ex-
independent school pupil myself, the last thing I expected on the first day of university was to be grilled by my new flatmates whether I had come from a state school or was ‘one of those posh, private school twats’ instead. However, this is exactly what happened.
Unfortunately, due to the fee-paying nature of private education, there has always been a ridiculous stigma associated with private schools that everyone who attends is either a millionaire, or spends all of their free time riding around on
ponies.
T h i s , however, is
simply not the case.During my own time at
private school, many of my close friends had worked incredibly hard to earn their place there, either by winning scholarships or through obtaining financial support
such as bursaries and EMA.
But this kind of
ill-founded prejudice towards independent school students is hardly a rare occurrence. Perhaps what some individuals need to realise is that by accusing the privately educated of being snobs based on little evidence other than the fact their parents have paid to send them to school, they are exhibiting a kind of inverted snobbery themselves.
There is no denying that some private school pupils are from wealthy families.
But it would be wise to also bear in mind that in nearly all cases, it is the choice of the parents not the child to follow the private-school route. Discrimination against the pupil can be wholly unjust as they frequently have little say in their own education.
Private schools really aren’t as bad as they are often portrayed to be. Yes, they charge expensive tuition fees, but most also require students to pass entrance
examinations, so contrary to popular
belief it isn’t a case of just buying your way in. They also consistently achieve excellent results, with 50 per cent of private
school students in the UK achieving A or A* at A Level.
When students reach university they should acknowledge that
everybody there has got in on their own merit,
and have all undergone the exact same horrendous Ucas process. So perhaps it’s time to let these silly prejudices go, no matter what institution you’ve come from, we’re all in the same boat now.
OliviaMiddleton
Got an opinion on the topics discussed this fortnight?
I can’t Corp with another night out
Some of my best friends don’t have their own pony
All Rise for Lee Ryan
Quote of the fortnight:“Strongly considering getting ‘fucking student journalist dickhead’ tattooed somewhere. ” - @AlishaRouse, editor of Forge Press
Join the Conversation:
@ForgeComment on Twitter facebook.com/ForgeComment
“In the battle of Corp shirt versus pyjamas, we all know who will
lose.”
Photo:mikebaird/Flickr
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word for Lee Ryan, seeing as we’ve not heard much from him since he got so drunk and raucous at Pop Tarts that he fell off stage.
I guess he’s feeling a bit Guilty, and we can’t blame him for feeling Blue, given his bandmate Duncan ended up shouting: “Who here’s drunker than Lee Ryan?”
Tsk tsk. The man had so much talent. It’s a sad sad situation, and we can only hope he digs his way out of this mess.
Heston Blumenthal is well known for his quirky methods of cooking, but now the experimental chef has revealed one of his best-kept secrets: Sucking Tampons.
Mr Blumenthal has stated that recently, his eyes were opened to the wondefully absorbant nature of tampons and its potential to cleanse the palate.
We suppose that this falls in the realm of John Cleese’ self-proclaimed speciality: The bleedin’ obvious.
That commute must be hellAccording to PowerList, the no. 2 most influential black person in Britain is none other than Pat McGrath, a “make-up artist from Northampton”.
Well. Who knew our Uni’s own Director of Services and Accommodation led a highly successful double life?
F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
ADVERTISEMENT12
Dear Forge Press,
I am writing in complaint about your piece in FUSE on October 19 with reference to the upcoming archery Give It A Go session.
Whilst we as a club appreciate the publicity of having a piece inForge Press we would like to clarify a few things that we feel misrepresent the club.
First your oblique reference to Bow Hunting did not go far enough as this activity is illegal in Great Britain.
Secondly the use of the phrase ‘middle class Robin Hood’ to describe someone who has their own archery equipment is offensive and prejudiced, there is archery equipment out there for every budget and as a club we do
not discriminate based on class or anything else.
Finally a point of terminology, the word “bullseyeing” is not used in archery (an alternative is ‘hitting the gold’ or simply ‘shooting’) and the context it was used in makes light of the fact that we take the safety of everyone taking part in an archery session very seriously.
We would like to suggest that in future you contact the club beforepublishing so that we can check the terminology and accuracy of your piece.
Regards,
Christopher BoothSheffield University ArcheryClub
Web and Publicity Officer 2012-2013
We are not middle class Robin Hoods
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
LETTERS13
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Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Matchdebating: British grassroots tennis has been neglected
Has Tennis become an elisist sport? Since the introduction of mini tennis some children has been forced out of the game, ostracised from a local tennis club to second class facilities at the local park. Our coach, who has refused to adopt mini tennis, has been sacked and because the LTA will not accept the use of yellow balls for under 11s, her group are cut off. I think this is disgraceful, children and coaches should have the choice depending on development.
Chris Kilroy
I heard about Hunter around my office at DISH, but it never really sounded good enough to make time to watch it. Since I was bored waiting for the bus to pick me up from work tonight finally watched the premier at DISH Online and I see that I wasn’t missing out on much. I know that you can’t just put it all out there on the first episode, but I agree that if you do not build a connection with the characters it is very difficult to care about the show on the whole. Needless to say I probably won’t be watching again.
SoupOrMan
Sounds an awful like the Union SU Council to me.
If the Sheffield Council can’t influence domestic British policy, how exactly can the Sheffield SU influence the Israeli-Arab conflict?
Anony-moose
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Rotherham children let down by police and social servicesMs Masson – along with others who leap on the PC bandwagon – would do well to remember that it wasn’t the “right wing press” who highlighted the ethnicity of the perpetrators. It was a factual report to the safeguarding board that identified men of Pakistani heritage as being behind the series of grooming and exploitation incidents in Rotherham in this period. There were no reports of white men being involved in these cases. The Times newspaper quoted direct from the report. Why is is so difficult for people to accept this reality, along with the reality that, in these cases, the victims were all white girls.No-one is saying only Pakistani men molest children and that only white children are victims of the terrible crime of child abuse; just that this particular form of organised abuse was orchestrated by men from that sector of the community and they targeted vulnerable white girls. For all we know, this abuse is still going on now. South Yorkshire Police have a number of active investigations in Rotherham.Of course, we know that abusers who act alone tend to come from all ethnicities and reflect the broader make-up of our society, regardless of race or social status etc. All such crimes must be tackled of course but we will not be successful in protecting girls in Rotherham if we keep dodging the facts. It is such nauseating political correctness that prevents the stamping out of such crimes and it offends the law-abiding Asian community as much as the rest of us.
Gillian Radcliffe
Dear Forge Press,
I am emailing with regard to Danielle H’s letter (“It takes two to make a baby, Oct 5).
She writes in response to a comment made about a previous article: “Fighting the stereotypes: the teenage mum vs. the working mum”. Your newspaper cited the original comment as being written by Dale G, but upon checking your website it was written by somebody identifying themselves as Jamie.
I often comment on articles on ForgeToday.com using the name Dale G, and so do not want people thinking that the comment printed in your newspaper in the letters section (Sept 14) or Danielle H’s response are referring to me, as this is incorrect.
Many thanks,
Dale
Level 3 StudentStudents’ Union CouncillorVice President, Psychology
Society
Will the real Dale G please stand up
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Review: Hunted
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Sheffield City Council: They shouldn’t have time for time-wasters
Dishonored certainly looks unique and cool, but I keep hearing the story is only so-so, and makes me think that it’s probably a ‘rental only game’. I suppose I’m a bit cynical after some highly anticipated games that didn’t live up to my expectations have left me feeling like I’d bought an incomplete game (I don’t really want a repeat of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s “ending”). So these days I follow some advice I got from one of my coworkers at DISH and I don’t buy a game until after I’ve rented it and had a chance to log some hours on it. It’s saved me a good deal of money in the past six/seven months. So Dishonored is already in my Blockbuster @Home queue, and I’ll get to play it soon without the risk of dropping sixty bucks on it.
Nosgoth1979
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Review: Dishonored
If you like the music give it a decent rating! Nice writing style though. And this review really made me laugh. I like your review of the new Bat for Lashes album too :)
Stefan
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Review: This Many Boyfriends – This Many Boyfriends
Dickhead review, so boring to read!!Olivia McCrea-Hedley
Your comments on www.forgetoday.com to: Review: Mumford & Sons – Babel
Want to write for us?Come to our next meetings:
News: Tuesday November 6, Octagon MR1, 5pmComment: Tuesday November 6, Octagon MR1, 5.10pmFuse: Tuesday November 13, Octagon MR1, 6pmLifestyle: Monday November 5, Octagon MR2, 5.20pmFeatures: Monday November 5, Octagon MR2, 5.40pmSport: Monday November 5, Octagon MR2, 6pm
www.forgetoday.com/get-involved
F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S14
Words: Coral Williamson Photograph: Lizzy Jewell
There is no denying that recessions hit cities like Sheffield hard. But it is also incredibly hard to argue that there’s any better climate for the
best in arts and culture to thrive. It’s not every day that a disused, derelict flour mill can be turned into an award-winning music venue – but that’s exactly what happened to the Leadmill.
It was 1980 and everyone hated Thatcher. Now it’s 2012 and everyone hates Cameron; has anything really changed? The Leadmill is a legendary landmark in Sheffield’s music scene, and it almost seemed destined for greatness. No surprises then that NME wrote of it in 1982: “Combining the thrift and intimacy of a working men’s club with the leisure processor Hacienda, Sheffield’s Leadmill could become an important landmark in pop culture.”
And no wonder it’s just won the award for Best Venue Teamwork in the Major Club category at the Live Music Business Awards. For the second year running.
The Leadmill beat competition from iconic and famous venues nationwide. Rupert Dell, the general manager at the Leadmill says: “We’re obviously delighted. We were up against the Brixton Academy and Rock City in Nottingham which are special venues, so it means a lot that we have won it. We are really proud. We weren’t expecting it.”
Dell has worked at the Leadmill for 17 years, and must have a plethora of stories about the famous faces that have passed through its doors over the years. He says “The history and the heritage of the venue means we can attract different bands because small bands want to play here and big bands want to come back.
“We are unique. Fans appreciate that we aren’t corporate and are just about the music. People appreciate the honesty.” As he suggests, there’s just something a bit more special about Sheffield’s staple club.
It is certainly not its looks or location. Walking to either a gig or a night out at the Leadmill is always a somewhat grim experience, whether you have a beer jacket on or not. Its glitzy neon red sign is a welcome sight, but not a particularly pretty one.
The insides of it are dark and sticky, and not much better than its outer brickwork. The Leadmill is
hardy, like an institution. Because that’s what it is.
Within the first couple of years of the Leadmill’s inception, it had played host to a number of legendary bands. You could pay 50p and see Culture Club playing there in the same week they reached number one in the charts with ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?’ Even more special was the panto Jarvis Cocker (you know, him from Pulp) put on, consisting of 50 members from local bands performing to children on New Year’s Eve in 1982.
Pulp played a couple of times, still for mind-bogglingly cheap prices. On the other hand, legend has it that a certain ‘Material Girl’ was passed over for the venue because she asked for too much money. You can’t really imagine Madonna in the Leadmill, can you?
But enough about the 80s. Here and now, the Leadmill seems to be going from strength to strength. Earlier this year it hosted the excellent People’s Choice competition, which invited local unsigned bands to perform for the chance to open the Main Stage at Tramlines festival. It was, needless to say, a pretty big deal.
Sarah Nulty, the festival director at Tramlines says: “When we started Tramlines four years ago we always put showcasing new talent at the heart of the event. This year we want to give unsigned artists a chance to open up the show.”
And anyone who attended the finals in May will agree that it was a fantastic night of wonderful talent. Perhaps that’s why the Leadmill is a stalwart of Sheffield; it has always had plenty of inspiration and interest from the music scene blossoming around it. There are students who come to study in Sheffield simply because of its music scene. From Heaven 17 to 65daysofstatic, there has always been a vibrant variety of bands who call Sheffield home (and they don’t all have numbers in them either).
Also this year was the moving of the Tuesday Club to the Leadmill, following refurbishments in the University of Sheffield’s Students’ Union. the Tuesday Club has seen the likes of Skream and Benga, Mr. Scruff, Jamie XX, Chase & Status, Pendulum, and Roots Manuva, to name but a few. The Leadmill has carried on the excellent reputation of the Tuesday Club by having Toddla T and Gentleman’s Dub Club among others.
After winning the award for Best Venue Teamwork in the Major Club category, Dell touchingly said: “We are incredibly proud to win this award for the second year running. It was totally unexpected to win last year but to come back and win again is something that has never been done before. This award is dedicated to all of the fans of the Leadmill who voted for us and come to the gigs and for the entire Leadmill team which works so hard to make every live show a truly memorable occasion for those who attend.”
The future seems almost limitless for the Leadmill, even in today’s economic climate. This is the kind of situation that led to it flourishing in the first place, so no wonder it is not struggling. Maybe this time next year we’ll be running a news piece on it winning an award for the third consecutive year.
But for now, it is just going to continue being awesome. On November 24, indie-pop darlings and local lads the Crookes will grace the Leadmill’s stage, surprisingly for the first time. They’ve played nearly every other venue in Sheffield, so it seems a little strange that it’s taken them this long to reach 6 Leadmill Road.
Drummer Russell Bates is full of enthusiasm for the famous landmark. As an ex-student of the University of Sheffield, he says the club “was detrimental, both to my overall health and lecture attendance. I’m still fairly confused as to how they can charge so little for their booze. The memories I still have of being there are all good.”
On the subject of their upcoming gig, he notes: “Obviously we’re excited about it, as with any iconic venue you can’t help but think about the people who’ve played before you and what kind of substances have been abused in its dressing rooms.” He adds: “The sound is usually good for bands there which is a major plus.”
Well if those don’t sound like reasons to win an award, nothing will.
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 15
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Steel City’s heart of lead
“We are unique. Fans appreciate that we aren’t corporate and are just about the music. People appreciate the honesty.
Rupert Dell, General Manager of the Leadmill
”
“With any iconic venue you can’t help but think about the people who’ve played before you.Russell Bates,the Crookes
”
features
F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S16
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You’ve shared clothes with your brand-new flatmates, chatted till the small hours of the morning, carried each other home drunk, and shared your
deepest, darkest secrets with one another. Now, you’re ready to house hunt. But, when you’ve all finally moved in, what happens when that dream house you all signed up to turns into a nightmare? Searching for that perfect off-campus student house is a rite of passage for many university students, and newly enrolled freshers are actively encouraged to hunt for private sector student housing almost immediately after moving in to halls. With a recent survey by student magazine Student Beans revealing a third of freshers panic-signed rental agreements in the last academic year, possibly in response to the myth that there aren’t enough houses to accommodate all the students of Sheffield, it would appear that the house hunting frenzy could lead to some potentially dodgy choices in new abodes. When the then newly elected coalition government unveiled their intention to increase tuition fees by up to £9,000 annually in late 2010, it seemed likely that rental prices could rise to reflect these heightened costs. And with a recent survey by student accommodation provider Pure Student Living revealing that 58 per cent of students and 48 per cent of parents expect student accommodation to be a of a higher standard, it seems evident that
students feel entitled to more for their money, especially with debt for this year’s freshers estimated to total an astounding £53,400. It would seem, however, that despite the extortionate living expenses of students who commenced undergraduate study in 2012, prices are not necessarily reflective of high quality accommodation. A house that might at first glance seem suitable can hide unscrupulous landlords, or even unwelcome insect infestations, that can remain unnoticed should students rush to arrange accommodation and fail to check it out properly before signing on the dotted line. Third year University of Sheffield student Dexter Rowson is one of many students who in their first year fell victim to the ‘accommodation rush’. Rowson secured a shared student house in Broomhill in November of his first year, but had to cope with a negligent landlord as a result of not investing enough time to explore the ample housing available in Sheffield. Once he moved in, the Business Management student assumed that the utilities were fully functional until he attempted to use the heating. “The radiators worked in two of the bedrooms, the living room and the bathroom,” says Rowson. “Therefore two bedrooms, the living room, and the kitchen were left unheated. In the middle of January in Sheffield, the freezing cold was intolerable. “We left countless answer machine messages with the landlord but heard nothing in response. One weekend it snowed during the evening and I had to sleep with three duvets, three blankets, and a sleeping bag. We made it through
to the end of the year having never heard from the landlord.” It seems that Rowson is not isolated in his experiences resulting from the ‘accommodation rush’. Fourth year Landscape and Architecture student Harriet Johnson* likewise fell victim. “I’d only settled into halls for about six weeks and already landlords and estate agents were advertising properties for the following academic year,” Johnson says. “The pressure was mounting to sign a contract for a house before they ran out.” Johnson severely regrets having succumbed to the pressure commonly imposed upon freshers to sign prematurely on the dotted line, having had to contend with a rodent infestation during the second year of her tenancy that the letting agents failed to address. “Every time my housemates reported the rat infestation to the letting agents, they informed us that it was our responsibility to get in touch with Sheffield Council and foot the bill,” says Johnson. “But even Sheffield Council were useless. “We were left to deal with getting rid of the rats ourselves, which is not the easiest job, as anyone who has suffered an infestation will know. In the end, we had to call a private company. No one should have to live like that.” While this might be considered an isolated occurrence, a recent student welfare survey by the National Union of Students (NUS) revealed that 37 per cent of undergraduate students inhabit housing overrun with mice, suggesting such infestations are much more common than we might think. NUS welfare officer Verity Coyle concurs, claiming that Dexter and Harriet’s hellish private-rented accommodation experience are not isolated exceptions but representative of freshers who have failed to spend adequate time to find appropriate housing. “For many students, it’s the first time away from home so they’re pretty naïve.” says Coyle. “Students
are generally seen as vulnerable to landlords and can easily be taken advantage of in the housing world.” The NUS remains resolutely committed to combatting the appalling conditions that an overwhelming number of undergraduate students in private rented accommodation inhabit. Coyle actively encourages freshers to think about more than merely the bedroom size when viewing prospective shared student accommodation, and she urges undergraduate students to instead question current residents about whether they’ve encountered troubles before committing to a property. “Landlords like to whiz students
around the house very quickly, which scarcely gives students the time to pop their heads round the doors. It’s as if they’re worried that [prospective tenants] will see something bad. “Remember that you will be paying to live in the house for a year so chat to the tenants that live there.” The University of Sheffield’s Housing Officer for PropertywithUS, Linda Danson, shares Coyle’s outlook that freshers should not panic and rush into securing student private rented accommodation, as circumstances could potentially change over the course of the academic year. “Sheffield has lots of accommodation for students and we encourage students to take
Salma Haidrani investigates the ‘accommodation rush’ that causes freshers to inadvertently turn their backs on high quality accommodation
Words: Salma Haidrani Photo: Sophie Allen
Home sweet mould
“Make sure you’ve really thought about who you want to live with and where before you sign. Linda Danson, PropertywithUS Housing Officer
”features
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 17
their time to find somewhere to live – there’s no need to rush,” says Danson. “Although some students start looking as early as October, it’s really not necessary as there is plenty of student accommodation available and you can often find better deals the longer you wait. “Remember that once you have signed a tenancy agreement it cannot usually be cancelled if you change your minds a few months later, so make sure you’ve really thought about who you want to live with and where before you sign.” Such incidents of freshers signing contracts for shared off-campus student accommodation prematurely and changing their minds later in the academic year are abundant throughout the student population. Third year Psychology student Laura Smith* bowed to pressure to sign a contract for a shared student house in Broomhall five weeks after freshers week, despite scarcely knowing the people she would share her second year house with. “In my first year, my friends and I rushed into deciding who we were going to live with,” Smith says. “I’d known the people I was living with for less than six weeks, and by this point letting agencies’ advertisements of student houses for the following academic year were already mounting up in letterbox. “The pressure to sign a contract for a house was overwhelming when I’d only just settled into halls.” After moving into her new house in second year, Smith soon discovered that she and her cleaning-shy housemates were completely incompatible: “Despite talking to housemates about sharing the household chores before we moved in, I did all the cleaning in the bathrooms and the kitchen while the three other housemates did not even contribute. “Fed up of cleaning away the
piles of pizza boxes and beer cans, I went on strike and the rooms weren’t cleaned for several months. The house then became with cockroaches, which I was left to deal with. “Even after this, my housemates never cleaned and continued to make a mess. I moved home for the last three months of the ear and only came back to Sheffield for lectures. “If I’d waited until further into the first year, I would have seen what the other three housemates were really going to be like. Time and consideration should be invested into deciding who you want to live with in the next year. Houses aren’t going anywhere.” So, freshers, although rushing to secure accommodation for the next academic year as quickly as possible may seem to grant you immunity from the poor quality housing that will allegedly be left over, there is no need to resort to such measures. Take time to ensure that you are satisfied with who you want to share your house with and to explore the abundance of good quality accommodation in Sheffield before signing a contract. It may seem like a lengthier and more time-consuming route than signing on the dotted line of the first house you viewed, but what could be more satisfying (and comforting) to inhabit a house free from cockroach infestations, and with central heating intact? Regardless of these suggestions, and implications that hanging on and checking out the market could prevent bad housing experiences, the search for that perfect off-campus first student house shows no sign of stopping yet. The ‘Letting Available’ signs that were omnipresent during freshers’ week are now, in the fifth week of university, already ‘let’.
* Names have been changed.
F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
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F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
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Meet NouriSH Me Now, the new sports recovery drink that has been developed right here in Sheffield.
Like any other recovery drink it is high in protein, carbohydrates and water, but this one has a difference: it is completely natural.
With a milk base, it is the first drink of it’s kind in the UK and we caught up with Rachel Smith, joint founder of the company, to find out a little bit more.
The inspiration for the company came from Lynwen Harrison, a former team GB triathlete who wanted to improve her performance.
Having tried numerous recovery
drinks she felt uneasy with the amount of synthetic ingredients that she was taking on, so she invented her own and NourisSH Me Now was born.
The ambition for now is still very much local as Smith commented, “Our aim is to become the ‘sports drink of Sheffield’. With the success of the Olympics and Sheffield being branded ‘the sporting city’, we feel our drink is right at home here in Sheffield.”
“Our aim is to be-come ‘the sports
drink of Sheffield’”The company has become a main
sponsor of sport at the University and are keen to promote the drink to the student community, not just for elite athletes either.
“We are thrilled to be part of the family at the University of Sheffield,
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F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S 20
Found at the heart of West Street, opposite Tesco, Bloo 88 has a prime location.
At first glance, what they offer seems very ordinary, with a menu of pizza and cocktails.
However, on closer inspection you’ll find that this is no ordinary restaurant.
When you walk in through the doors and away from the chaos of West Street, Bloo 88’s interior has a rustic feel, with exposed brickwork and chunky recycled wood tables.
Some of the walls are lined with newspaper, while others are clad with vintage posters and antique clocks.
The speakers play chilled vibes of Damien Rice, at the perfect background volume.
But it is the open kitchen that provides Bloo’s warm authentic atmosphere.
There are flour-covered chefs kneading dough and a roaring stone oven, producing tasty Italian pizzas to order.
Alongside this, the bar seems to be stocked with every spirit imaginable, and a trendy-looking barman can be found doing
impressive tricks with a cocktail shaker.
Having only opened last year, word has spread quickly about this gem of a restaurant.
Bloo 88 is almost always bustling with a young, trendy crowd of post-grads and friends socialising over a drink or two.
But despite a near constant full house, waiting times are minimal and the food is served piping hot, fresh from the oven.
For those who aren’t keen on pizza, there’s also a tasty range of burgers and salads, sure to please all palates.
After all this, you may be imagining sky-high prices and bills to leave you feeling weak at the knees.
Think again. Pizzas are two for one all day long, making them average an incredible £4 for 12 inches of Italian goodness.
Many cocktails are two for £7 during happy hour, which stretches
generously from 5-9pm. Bottles of Cobra and glasses of
house wine are a steal at just £2.50 between these times.
With pizzas to keep the men happy and delicious cocktails for the women, I’m sure that Bloo 88 has the Italian recipe for success.
Open: From 12 till late, 7 days a week. Food served until 9pm. Address: 182 West Street, S1 4ET Phone: 0114 2706264
Lifestyle’s pick of what’s on in Sheffield
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
WHAT NOT TO MISS THIS FORTNIGHT
WARHOL’S LATE SELF PORTRAITSMonday November 5 - Saturday 10 at the Lyceum Theatre.
Halloween may be over but do you still fancy a good scare?
See where the legend of The Woman in Black all began on a dark stage at the Lyceum Theatre.
Spectacularly spooky, it makes the movie look tame so it’s definitely not one to miss.
For a perfect excuse to eat all your Halloween sweets and bonfire toffee (old school, we know) catch it this week from Monday November 5 to Saturday 10.
One warning: be prepared for the super scary rocking chair, it will give you a fright!
THE DAY TO NIGHT MARKET BEER FESTIVAL AT UNI ARMSThursday November 15 - Saturday 27 at The University Arms.
Now for the exciting part - right here on University of Sheffield turf, The University Arms is holding a three (yes three!) day beer festival.
There will be more than 30 traditional ales on offer, along with a tasty selection of wholesome pub grub and live music every day to keep you going. The perfect recipe for beer festival success.
Not for the faint hearted or anyone with ‘Beer Fear’. So if you’re looking for an excuse, this is the perfect post lecture treat from Thursday November 15 to Saturday 27.
This should be up any ‘good’ students drinking street.
Wednesday November 14, 9am-9pm at the Peace Gardens.
It’s only natural that student life can be financially difficult at times, so keep it thrifty as The Day to Night Market comes to Peace Gardens on Wednesday November 14.
Take a stroll through one of Sheffield’s most beautiful areas filled with vintage finds, arts and crafts and food for all - with everything from hog roasts to Caribbean cuisine.
Get tips on anything from decorating your room to cooking the perfect roast.
It’s on from 9am ‘til 9pm and definitely worth a visit.
The moustache could have made its first appearance in the Stone Age, since it was technically possible for cave men to shave themselves with stone razors.
The oldest evidence for top-lip topiary, though, is a painting of a Scythian horse rider from 300BC, shaved but for his upper lip.
Hindu gods are sometimes depicted with moustaches, and since Hinduism is said to be one of the oldest religions in the world, it’s fair to say that moustaches go a long way back.
Future civilisations, like the Romans and the Greeks, favoured beards over moustaches.
Anglo- Saxons, on the other hand, believed the moustache to be so important that it featured in the design of the Sutton Hoo helmet, to ensure that their enemy didn’t assume that the warrior beneath had no moustache.
The moustache only really came into fashion around the end of the 18th century, during the rise of the second British Empire.
It was driven by two factors, the first being when British officers started to imitate the moustaches of the French they were fighting during the Napoleonic Wars, whose whiskers were said to be “appurtenances of terror”.
The second was that Indians a s s o c i a t e d m o u s t a c h e s with power and masculinity, so British colonialists had to grow their own moustaches in order to be taken
seriously by their subordinates.The moustache’s journey to
widespread popularity was an uphill struggle, and back in Britain, the colonialists were condemned for ‘going native’.
But moustaches eventually became so strongly associated with masculinity that in 1854, it became compulsory for European men in the East India Company’s Bombay army to grow a moustache.
In the 1860s, an order was inserted into the Queen’s Regulations which made moustaches compulsory for all men in the British army.
The moustache was popular with the Victorians, and it was over the 19th century that pogonology – the study of facial hair – was refined as an art form.
It generated a niche market, and products for top-lip topiary were everywhere.
You could make your moustache thicker and shinier with Elliott’s Tonic Lotion or Oldridge’s Balm of Columbia, or shape it with curling
Adam Rajah
Review
Laura Davies
Will Aitkenhead
Bloo 88
Health & Fitness
Student LifeBy Olivia Hunter
Now - December 4 at Graves Gallery, FREE.
Think of Andy Warhol and many things come to mind: pop art (Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup to name a few), Edie Sedgewick and above all, pioneer of modern art.
Warhol has changed the way we see art for decades with his edgy forms of expression.
On that note, if you haven’t paid a visit to iconic Warhol’s Late Self Portraits Exhibit at Graves Gallery, there’s still time.
The exhibit ends December 4 so there’s plenty of time to get your cultural fill and with free entry there are very few excuses why you shouldn’t go.
The history of the moustacheIt’s the month of Movember, the month of top lip topiary
they have really embraced NouriSH Me Now as part of their own team.
“We are thrilled to be offering a totally natural and fresh product to the s t u d e n t s giving them a healthier option.”
S m i t h went on to add,
“NouriSH Me Now has been created for everyone - not just the elite.
“From gym goers to club sport and even the more serious athlete,
NouriSH Me Now offers high quality ingredients at an affordable price.”
It is clear to see that keeping the product local is of great importance to both the business and product.
Wherever it is possible, all ingredients are sourced locally and this has already won accolades.
“We’re really proud to have been one of the first food manufacturers to be awarded
the Made In Sheffield mark for quality manufacturing.”
NouriSH Me Now support several high-class athletes across a variety of different sports, including Sheffield
Eagles rugby league players and Team GB triathletes.
Their partnership with the University will provide all students with a natural product to aid in a healthy lifestyle and maybe even give us the edge at Varsity next Easter.
@forgelifestyle
/forgelifestyle
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 21
tongs and miniature scissors.The moustache became the
symbol of the British Empire, and as the British Empire reached its peak in the early 20th century, so did the moustache.
One of the most famous men to sport a moustache at this time was Lord Kitchener, who left his mark on the world with the First World War recruitment poster – do the words “Your country needs you!” sound familiar?
I don’t think that it’s exaggerating to suggest that without his indomitable, draft-excluder of a moustache, Lord Kitchener wouldn’t have had the face required to muster the thousands that the war effort required.
But as the British Empire fell under the blows of the Great Depression of the 1930s, the cost of WWI, and the release of its colonies, the moustache fell out of fashion.
Over the course of the 20th century, the moustache became a joke, thanks to Charlie Chaplin and Groucho Marx, and an international symbol of villainy, a lá Hitler, Stalin and Lenin.
It experienced a brief resurgence in popularity in the 80s as a symbol of homosexual virility, as seen on Freddie Mercury and the Village People, and again in the 2000s, as seen on the upper lips of hipsters. Ironically though, of course.
The moustache is still sported by villains (Captain Hook, Yosemite Sam, Saddam Hussein), but this November, men across the world will be casting aside their razors and using their upper lip hair growing abilities for good.
Men’s health issues are often neglected, so the charity Movember aims to raise awareness for issues like prostate and testicular cancer by encouraging men to grow moustaches.
Cultivate your own facial topiary this November, and get the word out there that early detection is the key to reducing deaths by cancer.
Visit www.movember.com for more information.
A nourishing partnership for the UniversityMeet the new sports drink endorsed by the University: NouriSH Me Now
Ingredients:-Olive oil-1kg pumpkin-One onion-One tin of tomatoes (400g)-Two cloves of garlic-One tbsp tomato ketchup
Method:1. Dice pumpkin and roast for one hour at 200°C with a whole onion. 2. Scrape the pumpkin flesh into a food processor, discarding any skin. Add the onion, quartered. Add the tin of tomatoes and blend until smooth. 3. Fry the garlic in olive oil, add the pumpkin mix along with 250ml of water and bring to the boil. 4. Stir in the ketchup, tomato purée, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours to marry.
Lifestyle’s Cheap EatSpicy Pumpkin Soup by Mil Hare
Food
The history of the moustacheIt’s the month of Movember, the month of top lip topiary
Hops at the HopDrink
Last Saturday Lifestyle headed down to the Hop for their four day Green Hop Beer Festival, to find out a bit about the beer making process and to sample some local ales.
On the Saturday the head brewer of Ossett Brewery, Paul Spencer, attended the beer festival with a few hop merchant colleagues to raise awareness of the British Hop industry and let us know what hops are all about.
As a student, a cheeky pint of beer has become somewhat of a regular occurrence, but who actually knows where their pint comes from?
Hops are the bitter taste within
beer, and are grown up bines (not vines) in a similar way to grapes.
The plant itself is in the Cannabaceae family, a brother or sister of both the nettle and cannabis plants.
Having learnt about the growing process, we were lucky enough to spend the rest of the afternoon trying out a few local and regional ales (with free refills).
A generous selection of pub-style nibbles were provided at half time to soak up all the beer, including delicious pork pies, salty pork scratchings and a new one for me, bread and dripping!
Now for the beers themselves:
1. Autumn Bounty Great Newsome BreweryA moderately bitter, light amber beer with a nutty aroma and fruity hop finish.
2. Green GoldFernandes Brewery in Wakefield The second beer of the selection, brewed from Sovereign hops. was a refreshing golden beer that maybe went down a little too easily.
3. Hop3 Big River BreweryMy personal favourite of the four came from a mixture of Progress, East Kent Goldings and North Down hops, all grown around East Yorkshire.
4. Hop HarvestGreen Jack Brewery The fourth beer was a ‘Wheaten Ale’ brewed with ‘green’ wheat and freshly picked ‘green’ Boadicea hops from a Suffolk Hop Yard. Disappointingly, this was not a Corp-style green pint though.
George Reed
The Chevron
The English
The Handlebar
The Horseshoe
The Painter’s Brush
The Petite Handlebar
A Guide to the Styles...
-10g salt-One tsp pepper-One tsp cayenne pepper-One tsp paprika-Two tsp tomato purée
Student Life Paintball in SheffieldLiam Himsworth
Sheffield University Paintball Society (SUPS) is dedicated to providing students with the perfect way to de-stress and unwind after a hard day of uni.
Being one of the UK’s most popular adrenaline sports, the society gives you the opportunity to get involved, with alternating sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays giving everyone a chance to play.
As a society all levels are welcome, from beginners to Chuck Norris.
We can guarantee that you will have fun playing this high octane sport and with a plethora of games and socials for the rest of the academic year you will be definitely meet some new friends
along the way. Our home ground of Asylum
Paintball in Netherthorpe provides a safe and intense atmosphere for all the mayhem to take place – just a 10 minute walk away from our very own Student’s Union.
Asylum Paintball and the society are fully insured and offer a complete and top of the line protection package (including compulsory face and eye protection) as well as brand new guns and other essential hardware items.
£10 an academic year membership with the society gets you exclusive SUPS membership with Asylum Paintball - where we play as a society every couple of weeks, free entry and free kit hire, massively reduced paintball prices, some great socials and the chance to play other university
teams in the pipeline - including a grudge match against Hallam.
So if you’re interested in shooting other likeminded students in the face, like our Facebook page (Sheffield University Paintball Society) and ask to be added to the mailing list or just fire off an email to [email protected].
Lifestyle & TravelF r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
FashionFood & DrinkHealth & FitnessTravel Giving BackSex & RelationshipsTechnology
22
Technology Mobile manners
Travel
Bummit challenge: A charity hitchhiking race through Europe
Is mobile etiquette in social situations getting worse, or is it just modern day living?
Every year, hundreds of University of Sheffield students participate in the Big Bummit challenge.
Created by Sheffield RAG 10 years ago, Bummit runs every year, raising significant amounts of money and offering its participants an exciting adventure.
With only £65 sponsorship, you can join the Baby Bummit or the Big Bummit challenge.
Baby Bummit is a smaller event involving 200 students who hitchhike to a location in Great Britain.
This year they headed to Brighton, and upon arrival celebrated together with a meal and a night out.
Big Bummit involves 400 students, and explores different areas of Europe over a period of at least a week.
It also finishes with a celebratory meal and a night out.
Bummit can take you to the most beautiful places in Europe, with Budapest or Sofia, which is in Bulgaria, being previous final destination points.
I met with one of the Big Bummit’s participants from 2010, final year French and Spanish student Jamie.
He talked about his experience with
Bummit, which ended in Krakow, Poland:“I felt really excited about the race. It all
begins outside the Students’ Union and everybody just runs in different directions, it gives you a sense of freedom.
“You pay for your hoodie, and you get a goodie-bag for free which includes a Bummit Bible with recommendations written in different languages.”
Bummit is now the world's largest student organised hitch-hiking group.
With an international reputation, people who Bummit through Europe meet lots of friendly people who know about Bummit and want to help the participants by offering them a ride, a free train ticket or even accommodation to spend a night.
The Bummit Bible includes all sorts of useful information and guidance, for example addresses of hostels and information about the fundraiser so that people who read it can understand and offer their help.
Bummit sets a halfway meeting point where all the contestants gather and participate in a party.
In 2010 the halfway point was Ljubljana in Slovenia.
Jamie said: “We thought we wouldn’t make it to Ljubljana on time because we were stuck in this small town in Austria. We had to take a taxi and spend some extra money”.
Other than that, they got lots of great opportunities to ride sports cars and expensive trains for free while meeting lots of interesting people.
He added: “We got a ride from Dover with a group of heavy metal guys in their van all the way to Holland so that was amazing.
“In Holland we spent the worst night possible. We had nowhere to stay so we slept in a park. It was freezing.
“I woke up in the morning and I saw a goat staring at me!”
In Germany, a train manager offered them free tickets for an exclusive train going from Cologne to Frankfurt – now that’s travelling with style.
Hitchhiking across Europe can take you to very small and remote places, far away from big cities.
You can find yourself stuck in a small
village and the clock is ticking. What do you do to encourage people to give you a lift?
Martha, Jamie’s fellow hitchhiker, said: “You have to try to get yourself noticed. Be friendly, look smiley.
“We were dancing and jumping to get people’s attention and so they were thinking: Why not?”
She added: “It helps to wear the hoodie because it makes you look like you belong to an organisation. It can be quite daunting, asking strangers for a lift, you never know who you may be getting into a car with.
“You get to a point where you don’t care, you’re determined to move forward and get to the next city.”
It’s amazing how fun and exciting hitchhiking through Europe can be with your friends, and it’s all for a good cause.
Kasia Peza
Sign up for the next Big Bummit on
November 26 - don’t miss out on this sell-out adventure challenge!
I hate phone calls. I always have. This is partially to do with the fact that you are not able to see the person you are speaking to.
However, it’s mostly because I am too lazy to maintain a conversation with somebody I’m not actually with.
This means that sometimes I don’t pick up the phone on purpose. I’m not great at returning calls and I would never ever take a call if I was in
somebody else’s company. I mean, aside from the fact I am more than happy to have an excuse to avoid making small talk
with someone back home for 10 minutes,
it’s a bit rude isn’t it? It’s like going to the cinema,
getting out a portable DVD player half way through
the film and watching something else for a while before deciding to return to the original film – the reason you’re
there in the first place.
Texting, on the other hand, is another story.
These two mediums operate under totally
different rules, so whilst I hate the phone, I absolutely love texting.
I only ring people when I know that
whatever it is I have to tell them will probably result in
a long conversation that would be too long and
complicated to have via text.
The beauty of text is
that because it’s so quick, it’s okay to talk about absolutely pointless conversation topics.
Flicking through my inbox now, I have texts reading:
‘Made in Chelsea tonigggght ON A REAL TV’ and ‘I’m a guy and I just had to spend 15 minutes in the hosiery section in Primark fml’.
If these people rang me to deliver these ground breaking messages, I’d probably just reply: ‘Oh. Cool…is that it?’ But they didn’t ring. They text. So it’s all fine and I reply with real enthusiasm – ‘I knowww so excited’ and ‘Hahahaha.’
Of course I’m lying. I’m not that excited about Made in Chelsea, and I don’t find the hosiery story that funny, but they can’t hear me so I’m able to humour them (a trait much harder to do over the phone).
Texting can be acceptable in social situations provided you can multi-task and maintain a physical conversation whilst texting, and that the texts are only one-off messages like my previous examples.
I suppose it’s still bad seeing as you’re not fully focused on your companion, but at least texting is quick, and perhaps more
importantly, silent. I’m sure your friend would rather
watch paint dry than listen to the soppy conversation between you and your other half, but if it’s just a text message then they’re none the wiser.
It’s when these short texts escalate into full blown conversations that the danger arises. Give it three or four consecutive text messages and then before you know it a third party has gate-crashed your social chit-chat. Your phone has joined you at the ta-ble, and once that phone is propped up next to you it’s pretty hard to maintain any sort of technological etiquette because now you’ll just keep looking at it thinking ‘have they texted back yet?
So you’ll most probably check it now and then just in case you missed the message tone.
As well as this, phones are now able to tease you with that little flashing light that starts flashing whenever you have some sort of ‘notification’ that you just can’t help checking, because until you check it the flash just will not stop.
Then you’re sucked in to the world of BBM and WhatsApp, you’re checking your email, you’re tweeting, you’re laughing at a picture someone’s just been tagged in, and you look up to see your poor friend sitting there and wondering why you still haven’t answered their question.
Obviously this isn’t the case for everybody, just people like me who are easily distracted.
If that sounds like you, it might be worth trading that smartphone in for a brick that has nothing on it that could potentially be more interesting than your conversation.
Laura Heffernan
“You look up to see your friend still sitting there and wondering why you haven’t answered their
question”
www.MilliTalk.com
Once a cheat, always a cheat? Well, not necessarily.
A leopard never changes its spots. This saying is drilled into our brains as a form of self protection – never assume anyone is capable of change and save yourself the bother of investing in someone who may turn out to be a waste of time.
Yes, being cheated on hurts, and we know that whether its from personal experience or the fact it happens in most rom-coms and is followed by high drama and tears.
Disclaimer: I’m not going to try and convince anyone to take back that scumbag ex-boyfriend or girlfriend who messed you around.
Rather, I’m just going to say a harsh truth; if you are cheated on by someone, your relationship wasn’t right. Whether it was because you just didn’t match up or you got way too serious way too fast, infidelity doesn’t just occur by accident (whether that’s how they try to play it or not).
It might simply be that the person in question can’t work out whether they are ready to be committed yet or not and still had some ‘wild oats to sow’ which were unfortunately sown on your time.
When that person decided go ahead and mark themselves with the metaphorical scarlet ‘A’ they knew what they were doing.
No matter how inebriated they profess to have been, people don’t just fall into bed with each other.
All it takes for a cheater to become a monogamous dream is to change their
mind. It’s easier to believe that the idiot who cheated on you will carry on doing it to a whole succession of partners and you are glad to be rid, but there’s also a good chance that isn’t the case.
It’s a difficult reality, but that person may move on, find someone who is simply a better fit and whatever drove them to seek affections elsewhere is calmed.
Similarly the relationship can change, you might both work out what you want from the relationship; how to be together harmoniously.
It’s a well known fact that relationships have rough patches, and you have to be realistic and tough to withstand it, but that doesn’t mean that if someone messes up once you should completely write them off.
Yes, some people are just in it because they enjoy the drama but buying in to generalisations and sweeping statements can mean good people and good intentions get overlooked.
Cheating and betrayal is unavoidable, it has always happened, and will continue to happen.
Some people are not compatible with exclusivity. In these instances, being confronted by commitment will lead them to become bored or dissatisfied.
Unfortunately, once a precedent has been set, it is easier to repeat the action, and cheat again.
Commitment is incredibly hard, and in a relationship you need to be certain that it is what you want. Cheating is an indicator that the person is not sure, and by deceiving their partner maintains the possibility of keeping their options open.
Personally, I do not have any patience with pathetic, clichéd excuses for cheating.
The following classics all fit into this category: ‘I made a terrible mistake,’ ‘I wasn’t
thinking’ or, even worse, ‘I was drunk.’ (This is never, ever a justification.)
In any situation, including intoxication, there remains the awareness of the relationship.
This should be a deterrent against cheating. Cheating is not a mistake or a moment when the brain goes on holiday. It is a deliberate act, in full knowledge of the betrayal, and this is still the case regardless of how much a person regrets it afterwards.
When a person cheats, it means they are able to quash their conscience and any promises of commitment they made.
What stops them from using this ability again? Nothing.
Cheating is a choice – a person chooses how they act or what values they will be governed by.
At the end of the day, I think life is too short to be fooled by cheaters. If nothing else, it is too stressful being involved with someone who has cheated on you.
Furthermore, the deception results in an avalanche effect, amplifying existing cracks in a relationship and creating mistrust.
Trust is essential in a relationship and without it jealousy and doubt emerge. These are negative personality traits, which feed on encounters of this sort. They can corrupt even the most understanding person and make them controlling and possessive.
Relationships are about romance, desire and fundamentally fun. You should enjoy being with your other half. As soon as cheating taints a relationship this foundation is replaced with tension.
Even if not all cheaters remain cheaters, the infidelity is enough to ruin most relationships. In the same way you cannot remove the annoying/endearing habits of your partner, you probably won’t be able to change the cheating aspect of their character either.
@forgelifestyle
/forgelifestyle
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 23
RelationshipsOnce a cheat, always a cheat?
Betrayal has caused heartache for years, but can the other half ever reform?
Saskia Burton
From colouring to charitable cakes, the usual bland and lifeless Geography café was transformed into a nostalgic tea party on Tuesday October 23.
Hosted by the Geography Society (GeogSoc), the delicious cakes and a welcoming break from a long day of studying were well received by all who attended.
What was even better was the reassurance that it was all in aid of a good cause.
Ben’s Centre was set up over 10 years ago by a group who met regularly to discuss mutual feelings relating to drink .
Since then, the centre has helped many individuals with the same problem.
The charity helps out people in need in three separate stages. The first is Crisis Intervention in the form of a safe environment and providing a good cup of tea.
The second is Building Blocks. This involves giving out necessary information to the individual.
Finally, there is the rehabilitation stage, which gives opportunities for individuals to explore interests and for them to take ownership of their lives.
Sarah Plumb, a third year Geography student and Charity and Volunteering Secretary for GeogSoc, explained that the society wanted to give something back to the community and that funding for the charity was hard to secure.
She added that when GeogSoc approached the charity, they were keen for both the charity and society to work together.
In addition to the coffee and cakes, a clothes drop was on offer for anyone to get rid of any unwanted garments, freeing up space in the wardrobe and also helping someone less fortunate.
It was a popular idea, and plenty of people freed up space for their winter wardrobe and in the process helped out someone less fortunate.
Ben’s Centre is located on Orange Street (the road leading from COW vintage shop) and is open weekdays (except Wednesday) 10.30am till 2.30pm.
Additional information can be found on their website benscentre.wordpress.com or dropping an email at [email protected].
So the next time you’re on a bar crawl down West Street or wake up with a banging hangover due to the amount you drank the night before, bear a thought for the work that Ben’s Centre does and the people it helps.
Giving back Health & Fitness
Ben Cathrine
On Monday October 8 the cost of an annual peak gym membership at Sport Sheffield increased by 28 per cent from £240 to £308.
Surely at a time when obesity rates are at their all-time highest, gyms should be encouraging students, not pushing them away.
However, there are some fantastic exercise alternatives in and around Sheffield, the cheapest alternative clearly being the great outdoors.
With one of greenest and safest cities in the country on our doorstep, we should embrace it with sweat bands and a water bottle in hand.
There are community sports team open exclusively to first year students from our Endcliffe, Ranmoor and City centre communities.
These include free five-a- side f o o t b a l l at Sport Sheffield, and all t h a t is required is a squad of at least five friends, a
team captain and
most importantly a catchy team name. Alternatively, there are fitness classes at
Endcliffe and Ranmoor. At just £1 a week sessions including body
tone, cardio combat and yoga, times are 7-8pm on Tuesday at Ranmoor and Thursday 7-8pm at Endcliffe, tickets can be purchased from the Ridge/Edge respectively.
Accessible for all is our University ‘Give It A Go’ activities programme, which is currently running exciting programmes right into the next month.
For as little as £1 you can try your hand at judo, zumba, akido, volleyball and even korfball.
GIAG runs throughout the year, so there will be something for everyone no matter what the season.
With a large and diverse student population, Sheffield is never one to exclude; for our disabled community there is a great gym on Burton Street in the city centre.
It is open to all, and membership is value for money, as there is no induction fee, £18 a month membership or a £14 concession rate for members with special needs (www.burtonstreet.co.uk).
So whether you are part of a community, into outdoor activities, indoor fitness classes or volunteering to exercise for a good cause, Sheffield has something for everyone that doesn’t leave you confined to the four walls of a now (some would say) ‘over-priced’ gym.
We are after all students and getting things as cheaply as possible for many is of paramount importance.
Jade Gradwell
GeogSoc supports Ben’s CentreGym alternativesHealthy ways to avoid the ‘over-priced’ gym fees
Sketch by parkablogs.com
www.favim.combit.ly/PgMXam
Robyn Lewes
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“I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I’m thirsty.
Madame Lily Bollinger”Lady Chatterley’s Lover, the final novel by D.H. Lawrence, still retains an air of the mysterious and the scandalous.
First published in 1928 it shocked the literary world with its vulgar language and the visually described, central sordid affair. It was banned and condemned but the story proved too alluring, too controversial for people to ignore.
When Penguin Books finally published the unexpurgated edition in 1960, it was immediately taken to trial under the Obscene Publications Act of 1959. The act meant that publication could escape conviction if it could be proved that the published work showed literary merit.
However, Lady Chatterley’s Lover was said to not to do so due to the repeated use of the word ‘fuck’ and the use of the word ‘cunt’. Ooo errr, very scandalous.
Witnesses were called from all over the literary world, including E. M.
Forster, Helen Gardner, Richard Hoggart, Raymond Williams and Norman St John-Stevas. All of the big guns were present and on November 2 1960 a ‘not guilty’ verdict was delivered.
The trial opened the floodgates for freer and more explicit books in the UK (and we know where that ended up, don’t we Fifty Shades of Grey?), and the prosecution were ridiculed for being out of touch with the public, and what is socially acceptable.
Penguin Books published a second edition in 1961, which contained a small dedication from the publisher:
“For having published this book, Penguin Books were prosecuted under the Obscene
Publications Act, 1959 at the Old Bailey in London from October 20 to November 2 1960. This edition is therefore dedicated to the twelve jurors, three women and nine men, who returned a verdict of ‘Not Guilty’ and thus made D. H. Lawrence’s last novel available for the first time to the public in the United Kingdom.”
Roundabout of the yeaR
In Coffee Revs: Guy: “This might be really racist but I’ve never seen a Wookiee Jedi.”
Inside Scary Tarts: Member of Blue: “Who here is drunker than Lee Ryan?”
overheard in sheffield
have you seen it yet?youtube it:The bored animator
The Holgate Windmill sits on a small roundabout in York.
Apart from simply being astounding due to the fact there is a working windmill. On a roundabout. In the middle of York. It now has a higher claim to fame.
T h e 2 4 2 - y e a r -old is now Roundabout of the Year, as voted by the UK Roundabout Appreciation S o c i e t y (UKRAS).
The UKRAS president Kevin
Beresford expanded on the decision, saying: “I have to admit I’ve travelled from John O’Groats to Lands End in my search for the perfect Holy Grail Gyratory and now I think I’ve found it in the city of
York.“I thought I’d seen
everything on a roundabout but I’ve n e v e r experienced a working w i n d m i l l . I was
gobsmacked when I first
saw it. It’s in such good shape it’s a work of art.”
Puzzle column: sudokus
Another week, a new type of boredom.
We all suffer from the pencil twirling, pen chewing, insufferable monotony that can only stem from being set an essay of 3,000 words on your old, favourite topic.
You’ve seen it before, but there are those among us who turn these procrastinating hours into comedy, or beauty, or even messy games of truth and dare.
The bored animator creates a small, cute animation that revolves around destroying the blob.
YouTube search:‘Bored Animator’
M
E
D
I
U
M
lecture puzzle
Quote of the foRtnight
@FPCoffeeBreak
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F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S24
Can you draw the symbol shown in the illustration with one continuous line, making the minimum possible number of turns?
You’re allowed to go over the same lines more than once.
Find the answer online at:
www.forgetoday.com/category/coffee-break
Photograph of the fortnight: national geographic’s Photo of the day
Coffee Break loves photos.National Geographic features
a photo of the day on its website, and they vary from cityscapes, to natural wonders, even to insects smaller than your little finger.
So if you’re feeling a little down, and the world seems a dark and doomed place, why not look at today’s photo and be amazed.
The photos can be found at:http://nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/
Coffee Break’s Word of the Fortnight:mumpsimus, noun:1. Adherence to or persistence in an erroneous use of language, memorization, practice, belief, etc., out of habit or obstinacy.2. A person who persists in a mistaken expression or practice.
“I profess, my good lady,” replied I, “that had any one but you made such a declaration, I should have thought it as capricious as that of the clergyman, who, without vindicating his false reading, preferred, from habit’s sake, his old Mumpsimus...
- Sir Walter Scott, The Talisman
on this day 52 yeaRs ago:Penguin was found not guilty of
Publishing obscene novel
Photo: Mark W. Moffett, National Geographic
“It’s time for you to have your own NFL franchise, based in London.” Those were Rams’ owner Robert Kraft’s words in the build up to last Sunday’s game between the Rams and the Patriots at Wembley. He cited the experience that the city has in hosting big events like the Olympics as well as the Champions League and Heineken Cup finals also commenting on the huge support that the NFL international series has received, “These people out here make us feel that this is a home game — New England is coming back to England.”
People argue that the distance is too much and it is not fair to make teams travel to London but in reality it is not that much further than the distance they already have to go. There are over 4,300km between the Patriots’ home ground and the 49ers’ home ground, the Patriots had to travel just over 5,000km to get to London for the game against the Rams. The demand is clearly there; ever since the first NFL game was played in
80,000 people have flocked in to watch the game every year. This can no longer be put down to the novelty factor either, there have now been six games at Wembley, all sold out. Next year organisers have given in to the demand and there will be two regular season games at Wembley. The lead co-ordinator of British American Football National League spoke recently of there being just one thing stopping American Football becoming popular in this country, “Publicity. Simple as that. We just can’t get enough publicity and as an amateur organization we can’t afford TV adverts or anything like that.” The future of this concept must be in the youth. Last year there were over 30 new under-17 teams and they expect that number to double again next year. Britain supplies more kids to American colleges than any other country in the world and the British league is constantly scouted for any up and coming prospects. The demand to watch NFL is proof that a franchise could prosper in this country. This year the BritBowl, the top level competition in Britain, was hosted at the Don Valley stadium in Sheffield and was streamed live on the internet for the first time. It attracted over 6,000 hits from all around the world, yet more proof of the popularity of the British game. American Football is still in its infancy as a sport in Britain, the first game here was in 1910 and the
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Matchdebating Debate: Will American Football ever really take off in England with so many other sports available?
WillAitkenhead
ArnoldBennett
F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
SPORT25
SelectBUCS resultsAll results from October 31
BASKETBALL
University of York 1sts 45-46 University of Sheffield Men’s 2nds
TABLE TENNIS RUGBY LEAGUEUniversity of Durham 1sts 1-16 University of Sheffield Men’s 1sts
LACROSSE
University of Sheffield Men’s 14-8 University of Nottingham
NETBALL
University of Sheffield 1sts 48-28 University of Newcastle 4ths
University of Sheffield 2nds 33-24 University of Newcastle 3rds
Sheffield Hallam 1sts 54-13 University of Sheffield 3rds
University of Sheffield Men’s 1sts 5-2 Liverpool John Moores 1sts
University of Newcastle 1sts 2-1 University of Sheffield
Women’s 1sts
University of Leeds 6ths 0-1 University of Sheffield Women’s 2nds
University of Bradford Men’s 1sts 1-3 University of Sheffield Men’s 2nds
FOOTBALLUniversity of Sheffield 78-0 University of Hull Men’s 2nds
University of Sheffield Women’s 1sts 15-17 Northumbria University Women’s 1sts HOCKEY
NETBALL
University of Manchester Women’s 1sts 7-1 University of Sheffield Women’s 1sts
TENNIS
Demand is big enough for a London franchise
Following their demolition of the St Louis Rams
at Wembley on Sunday, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and q u a r t e r b a c k
Tom Brady remarked on the sense of nostalgia invoked by the
feeling o f
actual grass and mud between their cleats.
For a team and a league that plays
the majority of their
g a m e s o n
artificial t u r f , W e m b l e y ’ s verdant yet volatile playing surface inspired comparisons to a ‘good old fashioned football game’.
It’s this analogy
which best represents American Football, and the struggle it faces to establish itself as one of Britain’s predominant past times, alongside the likes of football (soccer), rugby, and cricket.
It is a battle that’s as rooted in time and culture as it is the fundamentals of the sport itself. Put simply, American Football is a ship that’s already sailed, and Britain will always face an uphill battle to catch up. It’s also a sport that, if the name didn’t already tell you, is so entwined with American culture that its ability to exist outside of that bubble is jeopardised.
American Football players are groomed through the US education system, offered college degrees along with sports scholarship funding, and, eventually, given the correct dedication and a lot of luck, drafted into the National Football League.
This hierarchy of player development will never proliferate through the nation; kids will not opt to play such an alien sport over more culturally preferred ones, nor will the mass of funding required to integrate such a system ever materialise, no matter how many arbitrary
games are scheduled at Wembley, or even if the oft muted London NFL team comes to fruition.
Another barrier to the sport’s expansion into British territory is the already ingrained sense of distaste for its curious mix of padding and pauses. This is my first season watching the NFL and it’s been interesting to debunk the various myths that have existed as glancing blows at the sport for years:
“The game’s too slow” is a common criticism, and one that to my mind is unfair. Movement is broken up into short bursts of action separated by tactical intervention from the coaches and quarterbacks. Criticising this is like telling chess players to make their moves instantaneously, and without thought, which is against the very point of chess itself.
Us Britons can’t see this. We’re against video technology in our favourite all action sport because taking five seconds to review an important decision would ‘slow the game down beyond repair’.
As I looked over the floodlit 3G pitch at the Goodwin on Sunday to see the Sheffield Sabres beat the Bradford Bears in a pre-season friendly, I witnessed players imitating the whoops and cheers you’d see at regular intervals in your average NFL game. It was then, on the artificial grass, under the artificial light, that I realised American Football might be a great sport, but it isn’t our sport.
British sporting culture would never accept NFL
‘Put simply, American Football is a ship that’s already sailed’
SelectBUCS fixtures November 7: FOOTBALL
Men’s 1sts at home v. Leeds Met 2nds, Norton, 14:00
HOCKEY
Women’s 1sts at home v. leeds 1sts, Goodwin, 17:00
LACROSSE
Mens’s 1sts away v. Sheffield Hallam 1sts, Abbeydale Sports Complex, 14:00
RUGBY UNION
Men’s 1sts at home v. Manchester Met 1sts, Norton, 13:00
TENNIS
Men’s 1sts at home v. Sheffield Hallam 2nds, Abbeydale Tennis Club, 11:00
Women’s 1sts away v Sheffield Hallam 1sts, Hallamshire Tennis Club, 11:00 November 14: BADMINTON
Women’s 1sts at home v. Leeds 1sts, Hillsborough Leisure Centre, 14:00
HOCKEY
HOCKEY
Women’s 1sts at home v. Durham 2nds, Goodwin, 15:30
RUGBY UNION
Men’s 1sts at home v. Hull 1sts, Norton, 14:00
Women’s 1sts at home v. Manchester 1sts, Norton, 14:00
TABLE TENNIS
Men’s 1sts at home v. Durham 1sts, tbc, tbc
November 11: T AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Men’s 1sts at home v. Lancaster 1sts, Goodwin, 13:30
‘The future in this concept must be in the youth’
first league wasn’t set up until 1946. Even then the league was made up from teams of American military bases throughout Europe. The first British teams were not founded until 1983.Development at this rate shows the growing p o p u l a r i t y . It is undoubtedly time that one of the greatest s p o r t i n g
competitions on the planet opens its arms to one of the most sport mad countries in the world. An NFL f r a n c h i s e based in London is only a matter of time.
HOCKEY
RUGBY LEAGUE
RUGBY UNION
BADMINTON
What approach are you taking to keep the team progressing to new heights?
The key to progression is not what happens on the field, but what happens off the field. The level of preparation by all 18 coaches on our roster is mind blowing.
They put hours into planning, achieving qualifications and bettering themselves as coaches. They are a key part of our success and with a huge wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm they provide a fantastic base for our players to work from.
Yes, we lose players. That is the nature of university sport. And when we do, I hope that we have helped to provide them with a fantastic university experience. New players will rise in their place, and their goal should be to better the performance and reputation of the player vacating the space.
What is the biggest area for improvement for the team from last season? What is the biggest strength you want to
see carried over?
The biggest area of improvement is in consistency of play across the board. Last year we were not consistent enough to win all of our games and enter the top tier of national finals. The level of our play needs to be consistently at a point where losing is quite simply, not an option.
The biggest strength is simple. It is mindset and attitude of the players. It is no use having high ambition if the players on your team are not willing to give everything, every second of every play. The average play lasts six seconds and I treat each play like a six second war. Flawless execution when you have nothing left to give is what will win us the toughest games.
Why is there such a genuine emphasis on recruitment for the Sabres?
Although American Football is increasingly taught in schools and at youth level, it is still very much a minority sport in the UK.
It is very rare to pick up a
player who has any experience, let alone ten years that rugby or football players might have. This means we need to train players from scratch, which means recruiting players well before we expect them to be winning us games.
What is your dream for the team?
The most important thing for me is that we provide the players with a great way to spend their university life and that they enjoy the experience.
I believe that the best way to enjoy being part of a winning team in any sport is through giving everything you have to a cause. Hours and hours of gruelling work become worth it on that final whistle.
My dream is for the Sabres to be one of the best American Football teams in the UK, as well as being one of the best sports teams at the University of Sheffield with great community and charity links. With continued hard work, it is an achievable reality.
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F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
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Preparation the key for Mullinar and the Sabres
The Sabres are in good hands. Photo: Munya Chawawawa
Forge Sport’s Heroes and Villains of the fortnightSEBASTIAN VETTELAfter dominating in India, Vettel equalled the record of former great Ayrton Senna by leading every lap of a race for three consecutive races.
TOM BRADYThe super star quarterback wowed the crowd at Wembley with his stunning display as the Patriots stormed to victory against the Rams.
AARON CAWLEYAfter running on to the pitch and assualting Chris Kirkland, this Leeds United hooligan was jailed for 16 weeks.
MARK CLATTENBURGNo stranger to controversy, referee Mark Clattenburg is in more hot water after Chelsea accused him of abusing their players.
Bad loss at Goodwin for Lacrosse
Rob Conville
Men’s Rugby UnionYorkshire League 2Sheffield Medicals 22West Leeds 6
Medics roar at Tigers ground with Leeds win
Photo: Chris Yu
The University of Sheffield suffered a severe home defeat at home to Leeds in wet and windy conditions at Goodwin.
Things started reasonably well for the home team, taking the lead early on through Tabby Halliwell’s finish across the keeper.
However, Leeds looked stronger and quicker than Sheffield, and soon took the lead.
Sheffield responded, with Sarah Gibson making a great twisting run through the centre, eventually shooting over, before minutes later turning and finishing Halliwell’s assist.
Leeds however were becoming rampant, scoring with virtually every opportunity they made, Tamara McCombe looking beleaguered in nets.
Gibson responded with a well-placed goal, and after half-time Harriet Bullough was denied by the keeper’s foot, but Sheffield lost possession and made silly mistakes in defence far too often, contributing heavily to their own downfall. The team in black and gold were beaten black and blue.
Matthew Smith
Women’s LacrosseBUCS Northern 1AUniversity of Sheffield 4 University of Leeds 29
Sheffield’s effort came to naught against Leeds Photo: Andrey Vasilyev
As the American Football team embark on their first ever season in the BUCS league Munya Chawawawa caught up with head coach Tim Mullinar to found out a bit more behind the driving force of the club.
With a new season why did you choose to remain as Head Coach?
Installing an ethos in which every player strives to be as strong and violent as they can be, is not
something that occurs naturally. It takes the right mind set from
the senior players and captains, and this mind set filters down from the coaching staff, who run their units in accordance with my on field philosophy. Winning is contagious and continuity of leadership is hugely valuable in maintaining that.
I am committed to making this team the best that it can be, I would not leave unless absolutely necessary - I love the game and this team too much.
A chilly wind met the Medicals at the home of Sheffield Tigers; this week was a trial run on a possible move of ground.
West Leeds kicked off with the wind in their backs. Good defence displayed by the Medics early on took West Leeds by surprise with George Cusworth and Henry Walker making good tackles.
Medicals began to give away penalties and eventually West Leeds converted two from the 10m line to make the score 6-0.
A few breaks by the Medics which may have ended up in tries were not finished due to errors which led to the Medicals f e e l i n g frustrated.
The second half was
a completely different game. Sheffield came storming out of the blocks, and after a great lineout from Ali Shaw, the backs combined with Rob Conville feeding Andrew Slater to finish under the posts.
Another lovely pattern allowed Conville to give Medicals Captain Alex Fawdry the ball at pace, who with the use of his trademark dummy scored a nice try.
The next try came after some individual brilliance from full back Mike Watters who had a great game.
The bonus point win was secured after good work from Matty Clarke, which ended up in a score in the corner.
Man of the match went to newcomer Tom Dobree.
Two members of the University of Sheffield boxing team are through to the semi-finals of the preliminary rounds of the senior novice ABA tournament after impressive ring displays in Wakefield on Sunday.
Journalism student Danny Armstrong won his bout in the 67kgs class A category with a second round stoppage of Kingston ABC’s S. Howard. Armstrong’s sheer volume of punches proved too much from the start as he gave Howard two standing eight counts in the first round before registering a third at the start of the second round to force the referee to call a halt to the contest.
In the 71kgs Class B category, mathematics student Richard Schenk was pitted against
last year’s national finalist S. Mennell of West Leeds ABC. In a hard fought, close fight, Schenk’s strength and accurate punching proved to be the difference as he ground out a points win.
University team and St. Vincent’s ABC coach Paul Watson praised both fighters’ work ethics. “The lads have been working hard and have done
me, the gym and the university proud,” he said.
“Next week we’ve got two student boxers in the semi-finals so I’d like to say well done to them both and now let’s go on and win again.” He added.
The semi-finals will be held on Sunday November 4 at Ryhill Sports and Youth centre, Wakefield.
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F O R G E P R E S S F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2
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Five-star Uni demolish Hallam and go top of league
Uni build up to another goal Photo: David Street
Spending your afternoon pedalling as quickly as you can up a mile long hill which at points is even steeper than Conduit Road, in temperatures as chilly as five
Sheffield celebrate a wicket
degrees and clad in nothing but lycras may not sound like everyone’s cup of tea. This was what 11 riders of the University of Sheffield Cycling Club proceeded to do last Saturday for the BUCS Hill Climb competition.
The course began low down in the valley of Curbar Gap, 10 miles out of Sheffield. The start line was positioned on a narrow road
cloaked in trees that immediately rose out of sight up the hill. The ascent continued rising steeper and steeper, winding around hairpins as the road neared the summit. Fortunately the riders were spurred up by the fiery support of UOSCC old boys who ran alongside the weary competitors screaming them on with a crescendo of noise for the final metres.
The day began at 11.30am for the women of UOSCC, warming up on the turbo trainers at the bottom of the hill before they were called up to the start line to set off at minute intervals. Clara Sandelind was the first to step up to the competition, bursting out of the saddle as she powered out of sight up the hill. Nicky Shaw followed her up 20 minutes later, giving the mile long uphill time trial the best of her efforts. Liz Stedman completed the line-up of Sheffield women, and pushed through the pain barrier to make her way up. The three finished well, coming 16th, 21st and 35th
respectively.After 1.00pm it was the turn
of the boys to tackle the challenge of Curbar Gap. Zach Smith, Rob Ricketts, the road captain, Andy Myers, Ross Phelps, the club president, Joe Drane, Chris Dredge, Andy Nichols, and finally Tom Stewart, left the supporters gasping a s they attempted t o chase him towards the finish.
An exhausted Nichols said at the top that he’d ‘felt better’ and Dredge merely mumbled ‘I don’t like that climb’. B u t , despite the pain t h a t they went through, their phenomenal efforts meant that Sheffield beat all the other universities to claim first prize in the men’s team
competition.The men recieved medals for
their achievements, beating tens of universities to take the
impressive win.This marks a strong start to the season for the cycling
club, who will be competing in BUCS Cyclocross
and Road Race championships later in the academic year.
They will also be in charity
action in the coming months, with members of the club racing Baby Bummit to Brighton on November 10.
Gold medal glory for Sheffield cyclists as they conquer Curbar Gap
BoxingABA Championship
Richard Simpson
University boxers set for a semi
Economics started the defence of their title with a comfortable but well fought 3-0 win against a resilient Maths side. A brace from Dan Lovett and a well worked goal from Grant Ashby was enough to dominate the proceedings at Goodwin.
The best opportunity of a lacklustre half fell to Economics’ Teddy Lomas. A ball in to the box fell to him six yards out and he blasted the ball at Dominic Wollam three times. A terrific triple save by the veteran goalkeeper, keeping the scores level going into half time.
At the beginning of the second half, substitute Jack Burns, played the ball through to Ashby, who quickly fired a lethal shot across the goal and in off the post.
This goal settled the Economics
midfield down and allowed them to play the ball around, this resulted in a second goal. Joe Ford’s tenacious work in the box allowed Ashby to set up Lovett to stroke in.
Any chance of Maths getting back into the game were then extinguished as they allowed Economics to play the ball around dangerously close to their area. After a cheeky one-two with Daniel Reyner, Lovett placed in his second, and Economics third, in similar fashion.
In other results, the Medics beat English 4-1, thanks to an unexpected hat-trick from James Neale, who predominantly plays as a keeper, to give the Medics a perfect start to the season.
Law also won 4 – 1, against Geography. Yianni Hadjigeorgiou pulled the strings in the middle of the park for Law as they began a season, which is full of expectation.
CyclingBUCS Hill Climb
FootballIntra Mural
Danny Wayne Armstrong
Numbers up for mathsThe men’s cyclists climb towards victory Photos: Ross Phelps
Uni continued their unbeaten start to the season in some style, brushing aside their closest rivals.
Uni got off to a perfect start. From the first corner Emer Wood’s delivery was met by Sophie Temple, who turned the ball in past the keeper from close range.
Uni continued this fine form throughout the early stages. Temple was brought down in the box by a clumsy challenge, and picked herself up to take the penalty, but from the moment it left her foot, it was always going over the bar.
Hallam barely ventured over
the half way line and when they did, they looked lost. Attacks fizzled out due to a combination of poor passing and strong Uni defence. However as the half wore on, their fortunes began to change, managing to carve out a few opportunities. Yet, Griffiths in goal was never troubled.
After a scrappy period, Uni doubled their lead. Kay scored from the right of the penalty box. Hallam responded with some tidy passages of play and five minutes from half-time, it paid off. The ball was poorly cleared by Uni and Griffiths was beaten by a looping Hallam header. Uni almost responded immediately. Shona Halpin’s free kick caused all kinds of problems in the Hallam defence. They were extremely fortunate to see the ball hit the underside of the crossbar and bounce to safety. Uni finished the half deservedly ahead.
The start of the second half
was put on hold after Ella Wales Bonner fell awkwardly during a collision with a Hallam player. The first aiders were called and she was driven to A&E with a suspected fractured arm.
After the lengthy stoppage, Hallam had a few chances, but only one team looked like scoring. The next Uni goal came after Temple made a great run and down the left wing. Her pass into the danger zone was turned into the net. Uni almost scored again with a close range header, but it was Wood who made it 4-1 with the goal of the game. Out from the right touchline she zipped in a looping ball towards goal. It sailed over the keeper and into the back of the net.
The midfield pressed well and it was down to Rachel Burden to make it 5-1. Wood, down the left hand side, passed to Burden who was unmarked. Her strong shot sailed past the keeper, to send Uni top of the league.
David Street
Women’s FootballBUCS Mars Northern 2BUniversity of Sheffield 1sts 5Sheffield Hallam 2nds 1
Dhruv Gandhi
Danny Armstrong (red) in action Photos: Georgina Cohen
Jazmin Sawyers in action at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona, and (inset) celebrating bobsleigh silver in the Winter Youth Olympic Games Photos: Zimbio
F r i d a y N o v e m b e r 2 2 0 1 2 F O R G E P R E S S
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It’s been a hectic year for Jazmin Sawyers, a silver medal at the Winter Youth Olympics as well as finishing her A-levels, Olympic trials and then a bronze medal in the long jump at the World Junior Athletics Championships. The 18-year-old long jump prodigy from Stoke has just begun a Law and Criminology degree at the University and took some time out of her busy training schedule to speak exclusively to Forge Sport.
Plenty of young athletes who watched the Olympics this summer will feel the pressure of performing on the big stage over the coming years. But not Sawyers, ‘“I haven’t even thought of it as that, honestly all I’ve thought is how incredible the summer was and I want that. The whole inspire a generation sounds really cliché but it really has done. It’s not even an option, I’ve got to be in Rio.”
Her confidence and drive to be the best is clear to see. When asked about the lowest moment in her career so far Sawyers has no hesitation, ‘Coming ninth in the heptathlon at the World Youths in 2011. Some people say that it was the World Youths, but eight people beat me. I came across the line and eight people came up on the first page and my name wasn’t there and I was just devastated.’
The determination to improve and ensure that her name is on the first page in the future drove Sawyers to focus on the long jump and drop the multi-event for the time being. The decision has proved a good one as she finished the summer as the number one
ranked junior long jumper in the world. Yet she came away from her first full season of the event feeling wanting more, “When I look back now, I look at it and think it was a successful summer. It was better than I expected. At the start of the summer my goals were to reach the World Junior Championships. At the Olympic trials I jumped a big PB, which put me number one junior in the world and then my goals completely changed and I wanted to win.”
She even beat Jessica Ennis at those Olympic trials and headed into the Championships in the form of her life. It didn’t go to plan though as Sawyers finished third despite jumping another lifetime best of 6.67m with her first jump. Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who competed in the heptathlon at the Olympics, took the gold. Despite claiming the bronze medal Sawyers was disappointed, “I was actually really gutted. I still finished the season at the top of the world rankings but to me it doesn’t m e a n a n y t h i n g if I didn’t win. On the day I c o u l d n ’ t produce.”
As with m a n y a t h l e t e s t h o u g h it is sometimes the defeats that teach you the most and Sawyers is hoping this can be the case. “You don’t enjoy it as much but you definitely learn
more. After the ninth in Lille I thought, right, I know now how that feels, that’s not going to happen again and now I’ve gone third, and I don’t like that either. I’ve learned massively from it and I’d rather do that now as a junior than in five years time when there’s everything at stake.”
She names Denise Lewis as her all time hero and recounts a bizarre encounter with Daley Thompson at a Sainsbury’s event for young athletes, “He said to me, ‘you’ve got big feet for a small person.’ That was the only thing he said to me!”
Since the move to Sheffield Sawyers has joined Toni Minichiello’s training group, alongside Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis and she plans to focus on the long jump for now, “I was only doing the long jump as a temporary thing because I didn’t expect it to go so well but I think it would be foolish not take it on
now and hopefully I’ve got some further potential.”
That potential as an all round
athlete was also spotted by the British B o b s l e i g h Association whilst she was at M i l l f i e l d S c h o o l , “ T h e y came to my school s c o u t i n g for the W i n t e r Y o u t h
O l y m p i c s and I thought
I’ll give it a go. I’ve seen Cool
Runnings I can probably do that!”
Following trials and a go on a dry push track at Bath
University she was selected for the squad. But it wasn’t all plain sailing, “I spent my first week doing nothing but crashing when I was driving. They’d tell you what to do and about the corners and then I’d set off and forget everything. My first six runs ever were crashes! It’s inevitable;
it’s part of the sport.” She soon picked it up though
and qualified for the Winter Youth Olympics in Austria earlier this year. Together with partner Mica McNeil they took the silver after a sensational final run. It remains the most memorable moment of her sporting career so far, “It was amazing. I think that will stand out forever even if I never go back to bobsleigh, that will be the stand out moment.”
For now bobsleigh is on the back burner but maybe one day she will return to it, “I loved it and I miss it. You see people going into bobsleigh when they are 27-28 so with two years under my belt already then hopefully I’ve got time for two summer Olympics then I can get back on the ice for a winter one, that’s the plan anyway!”
It’s an ambitious plan but Sawyers certainly doesn’t seem ready to let anything get in the way. Training five times a week, combined with her studies, leaves little room for a typical student lifestyle. She doesn’t let herself get too immersed in it all though, “My flat will go out and I won’t really go out with them, every kind of three weeks I’ll go with them if I can. It’s important to do the things you want to do, because you can take yourself too seriously. I’m only 18 and I’ve got to do the things I want to at the
moment.”Sawyers is keen to represent
the University at competitions when she can and this will certainly be a big boost to the Athletics club for the next few years. She’s been awarded a place on the UKA World Class Performance Programme, which means she is a funded athlete under the care of UK Athletics, “It’s really helpful because it means I can focus on training and University and I don’t have to go out and think about getting a job. It’s a massive help.”
The plans for the future are big, “This year I’ve got the European Juniors in the summer and then after that the Commonwealth Games would be my goal for 2014 and then after that the Worlds and then hopefully Rio in 2016.” Asked if she could win a gold medal in four years time she only needed one word to answer, “Yes.”
Will Aitkenhead
‘It’s not even an option, I’ve got to be in Rio.’
‘Eight people beat me, I was just devastated.’
Jazmin in 60 seconds:
Born: 21/05/1994
Club: City of Stoke
Favourite Film: Green Mile
Favourite TV show: Friends
Favourite meal: Steak and chips
Sport other than Athletics: Gymnastics
Guilty pleasure: Icing sugar on hobnob
biscuits.
Celebrity to have dinner with: Zooey
Deschanel
Random fact: Has a pet frog called
Pedro.
Sawyers aiming to make big leap to Olympics success
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