ELIXf* The Student Newspaper of Imperial College Nol 033 21JUN95 "^^^ Albertopolis Falls at the First Hurdle BY RACHEL WALTERS The 'Albertopolis' proposal to rejuvenate South Kensington has been rejected by the Department of National Heritage's Millennium Fund. The ambit- ious application for National Lottery funding was not among the 83 selected projects announ- ced last Thursday. The rejection is part of an ongoing procedure to determine which projects will gain a share of the Commission's £1.6 billion budget. The Albertopolis pro- posal would have created a huge pedestrian precinct and under- ground shopping mall beneath Exhibition Road, connecting prominent local museums with Imperial College. But as Mike Elrich of the Millennium Commission explained to FELIX, the planners: "were unable to show us that it was the best use of the Millennium have been short-listed are based money, from both a financial and around urban re-development technical point of view". and recreation plans. Cash Crisis The Commission based its Further sets of proposals to choices on a stringent set of earn a slice of the National BY ANDREW SMITH times that the part-time worker criteria. Successful applicants Lottery winnings will be consi- appears to have undertaken large produced proposals that were dered next September. Those A member of Imperial College scale deception. environmentally sound, of excep- whose plans have been unsuccess- Union (ICU) staff has departed There is some confusion as tional architectural quality and ful are advised to go away and under a cloud of suspicion, after to who should take responsibility likely to receive public backing. rethink their schemes. an estimated £7,000 has been for allowing the apparent subter- Providing a lasting monument to Mr Elrich suggested that the found missing from the Union fuge to continue for up to nine mark the millennium was huge cost of the Albertopolis coffers. The affair has only just months, however. While over- another high priority. "Projects proposal may have proved its been brought into the open, time sheets for Union employees have to show us that they cut the downfall. The scheme required a following legal worries that are authorised by the Union mustard," Mr Elrich said. sum of £100 million, but the undue publicity might hinder Manager, Mandy Hurford, wages He emphasised that ideal Millennium Commission has the expected criminal trial. are actually paid out by College's proposals were ones that would only £350 million to distribute in The staff member is alleged Pay Office. be of genuine benefit to the this round of awards. "They need to have started claiming small The ICU employee was community. "They've got to to scale it down a bit, and make it amounts of extra overtime contracted to work twenty five mean something to people," he more people orientated," he during the previous academic hours a week, but is alleged to insisted. Many of the bids which advised. year. It was only in more recent (continues on page two) m news&credits one&two&three news review: four&five&six&seven feature: who's watching your back? eight&nine feature: the Rector's View ten&eleven s-files: powerdown twelve&thirteen incoming: the last word fifteen standby: saying goodbye sixteen&seventeen • standby in review eighteen&nineteen summerguide: surviving the summer without us twenty B News Medical Miasma BY ANDREW SMITH College's Deputy Managing Director. His team hopes to The much vaunted new Basic dissuade the Treasury, who must Medical Science (BMS) building, approve all Department of planned to be completed by April Health (DoH) capital grants, 1998, faces further delays in the from pursuing their desire to test approval of the £40million public the BMS under a 'Private sector contribution to its Finance Initiative'. This scheme funding. It had been hoped that attempts to save public sector full approval would have been money for essential projects. gained by Easter, especially given On the question of whether a two senior cabinet ministers' public announcement can be public support for the project. expected in the near future, Dr Monday 19 June saw a high Eastwood asserted that he was level Treasury delegation of "very hopeful that it will be senior civil servants travelling to forthcoming very shortly" but he Imperial College for discussions commented wryly: "it's always with Dr Rodney Eastwood, imminent". ('Cash Crisis' continues) have regularly forged claims for Deputy President Clubs & Imperial College Security have now admitted that the newly installed upassivep to thirt y nine hours extra Societies, Ian Parish. infra-red (PIR) detectors in the Department of Computing failed duringovertime a . With ICU paying for Expressing dismay at the raid on the William Penney Lab two weeks ago, writes Rachel Walters. the wages of the employee's events, Lucy Chothia, ICU They had earlier claimed that the system functioned perfectly when twowhol youthse sectio n as one bill, the President, stressed that they broke into the research area in the early hours of June 2nd (FELIX 1032)exces. It s would not have been could not be repeated. "We've now appears that although the break-in was unsuccessful, it was onlyimmediatel y detected. had a full review of the Union pay prevented due to the vigilance of a nearby security guard. Security gave chase,It wa s when the overtime structure and measures have been and two suspects were subsequently arrested. sheets were checked, just before implemented to ensure that this Keith Reynolds, Head of Security, explained: "fortuitously one ofEaster our , the discrepancies were will not happen again," she guys happened to be on the Chem Eng walkway system and heard the uncoveredglass . FELIX understands insisted. go, so he radioed and we were there probably nearly as damn quick as thaif thet th e employee originally used The employee, almost PIR had gone anyway." photocopies of authentic time universally liked throughout the Previously, Terry Briley, Deputy Head of Security, had told FELIXsheets . After college brought in Union, was initially suspended that the successful handling of the incident was due to the PIR detectors.enhance He d security measures the but subsequently resigned had said that he was encouraged that the new security measures were provingemploye e seems to have obtained pending an expected prosecution to be effective. stamps from the drawer of the on charges of false accounting. be evacuated from the building include theoretical immunology the first fully-reported trial for News in Brief ten minutes before closing time. and biological diversity and he is cystic fibrosis, representing a Well done Mark! Well done Bob! keen to continue his work in significant step in the search for a Imperial College Union (ICU) Imperial biologist Robert May those fields, as well as commuting cure for the disease. staff have been full of praise for has been appointed as the himself to his new posting. RCS enter Forbidden Land Mark Home, this year's new Government's new Chief Well done Mary! The impending demolition of Ent's Manager, after the sell-out Scientific Adviser. Professor May, St Mary's Hospital Medical RCSII has raised a problem for success of last Friday's end of 59, is a Royal Society research School is a shining example of Royal College of Science Union, term carnival. ICU looks likely to professor who divides his time medical research, according to the as their hallowed office is make up to £1500 from the between the zoology department new Committee of Vice contained within its walls. The night's festivities: "Of course, it of Oxford and our own institute Chancellors and Principals soon to be displaced souls that are will all be ploughed right back in of pure and applied biology at report. 'Universities and the the RCS hacks will now be in the to provide even better student Silwood Park. Health of the Nation' presses for unfortunate position of spending services," Mark stressed. The government position, continuing investment in the staff most of their time in a City and The transformation of the which includes heading up the and resources of medical schools Guilds building. concert hall into a Whirl-y-Gig Office of Science and to encourage medical care The new CCU office, and the 'experience' proved a particularly Technology, will see Professor advances as a result of technical garage of the fire engine Jez, are big hit, and helped the Union to May reporting directly to the innovations. to be in the Department of Civil pack in 1250 punters, the Minister for Science. He will also The Department of Engineering but it seems that maximum legal capacity of the be charged with coordinating the Pediatrics anti-meningitis prog- College didn't give them much of building. The only sour note activities of all the other chief ramme and the clinical gene an option. Apparently it was came as the clock approached scientists in each of the relevant therapy research of Professor Bob either take what was offered or it 3am. Smoke detectors set the fire government departments. Williamson came in for particular would be presumed that the RCS alarms off and the revellers had to Mr May's current interests praise. His department produced no longer required office space. JIM FELIX 2uungs News Lectures Move BY ANDREW SMITH AND seemed at ease with the required AUNINDYA SINHARAY moves. He said that "it's inevitable that old buildings will It has now been confirmed that, have to be sacrificed." His starting next term, chemists will department will be losing three have the majority of their lecture theatres and a large lectures in the Sherfield tutorial room. Building. The move has been Prof Phillips told FELIX forced by preparations for the that he hoped chemistry courses construction of the Basic Medical would not experience too much Science (BMS) building.