ELIX The Student Newspaper of Imperial College Not 029 19MAY95 Imperial Stands Firm Against NUS BY RACHEL WALTERS campaign which was run," Dan Look, Deputy president (Finance The campaign to reinstate and Services) said. Imperial to the National Union Sarah Thomas, who master- of Students was overwhelmingly minded the anti-NUS campaign, defeated in last week's referen- said that she was surprised and dum. With a markedly larger delighted with the result. Saying ballot than many had predicted, that the election had 'turned into 965 students voted to stay out of a farce' she was 'just relieved that the NUS while 696 wanted to it was all over, to be honest.' rejoin. Lucy Chothia, Imperial The decisive result has been College Union president, was seen as a vindication of Imperial also 'very delighted'. She said College Union. Criticism of both that the referendum, which had a the pro-NUS campaign and the Union Funding Council budget Union Exec's management had of £1000, was an essential dogged the referendum. assessment of student opinion A barrage of complaints after the seventeen year period concerning discrepancies in cam- since ICU left the NUS. paigning led to a heated debate Interestingly, results from The annual staff/student art exhibition returned to the Sherfield Ante-room in an emergency executive the St Mary's side of campus this week, writes Owain Bennallack. Visitors are treated to a wide range meeting held just before showed that over 80% of the themes and mediums with paintings, photography and sculpture all featuring counting started. Karl Drage led medics actually wanted to rejoin prominently. The exhibition, which is free, has been co-ordinated by the calls for the referendum to be the national body. Explaining Leonardo Fine Arts society, who run a variety of courses for both staff and declared void, but the motion their voting, one St Mary's students throughout the year. Speaking at the exhibition's opening, Vice was defeated. "It would have student speculated that they may President Ola Al-deeb commented: "It's wonderful to see that there is been a great shame if the NUS have thought that they would get chance to see art at IC". So if you want to see art at IC get along to the had won in the light of the lower beer prices by joining. exhibition: it runs until June 16th. Some of the works are also for sale. Imperial College Goes To Press BY OWAIN BENNALLACK WSP, and also of IC alumni, said relatively common among top long to arrive. that the press would publish universities - as well as the The Rector, Sir Ronald Imperial entered the world of books and journals in both Oxford and Cambridge concerns, Oxburgh, expressed similar publishing last Monday with the printed and electronic formats in both Edinburgh and Manchester sentiments. "It's high time that launch of Imperial College Press a number of different languages. University have presses. an institution of the stature of (ICP). The venture is a collabor- "We hope to develop Imperial Recently the latter had to close Imperial College had its own ation between College and the College Press so that it is as good its scientific publishing wing as press," he said. "We are excited Singapore-based World Scientific as Cambridge University Press or the effort to manage both science by this venture, which will Publishing (WSP), which has a Oxford University Press - or and arts interests became too further strengthen our inter- 51 per cent share in the initiative. better," he said. great. Given this, it seems almost national network, particularly in Dr K K Phua, chairman of Publishing operations are surprising that ICP has taken so (continued overleaf) • news one&two&three editorial&credlts three incoming five s-files: picking up on radio seven features: a moving experience part 2 and information superhighway eight backchat: with computer chess master Richard Lang nine xtra curricular: soaring eleven standby: lo-fi thrills twelve&thirteen eight day guide fourteen&fifteen sport: airborne sixteen Q News (ICP continues from page one) the Asia Pacific region." World AGM Angst and Antics Scientific Publishing is the only sizeable publishing group based BY THE NEWS TEAM It is not clear whether in fact students to vote in the recent in that area of the world. the nominee is a 'joke candidate', NUS referendum. ICP's Editorial Advisory The success of today's Annual as by Wednesday night he had Today's gathering is to elect Board is chaired by Lord George General Meeting (AGM) of only managed to find four eight new Union officers and to Porter, Nobel Laureate and Imperial College Union, which seconders. The validity of the ratify the election of next year's Professor at Imperial College's will be held this lunchtime in the whole meeting is being ques- sabbaticals. In addition, this Department of Chemistry. It is Ents Lounge, is in doubt. tioned as two hundred people are year's officers are likely to be suggested that they will A candidate for one of the needed for the AGM elections to questioned over their annual approach past students and Union posts has forged a be legitimate. reports. academics first, but will also look seconder's signature. FELIX has The meeting, which is The only contest in the to publish works from outside learnt that the supposed seconder scheduled for today at 1pm in the elections is likely to be that for the College. World Scientific has not even heard of the pro- Union Lounge, has further the powerful job of Council will lend sales, marking and posed candidate. The impers- suffered from a lack of publicity. Chair. As FELIX went to press distribution skills, as well as onated engineering student has Last week's advertisement in the only declared candidate was actually producing the books and suggested that the candidate FELIX gave neither a date nor a Vinnie Fernandez, Royal School journals. must have been "smoking too time and posters did not appear of Mines Union President, but Speaking to FELIX, Tony much dope, maybe off his head." around college until yesterday sources insist that Charlie Bell, Moore of ICP suggested that the He further added that this sort of morning. This has been cont- Royal College of Science Union extra impetus to launch a activity "makes a mockery of the rasted with the wide publicity President, had previously publishing concern might be due whole election." given by the Union to encourage planned to stand. to Imperial's emerging status as a medical institution. It is thought that Imperial College Press will publish extensively in Rector Talks Top-up Fees this field, as well as in science and technology. RACHEL WALTERS Mr Moore stressed the importance the emergence of x electronic formats, saying: "it is Sir Ronald Oxburgh, Rector of u c Imperial College, has predicted a recognised that is the way that IC will soon be forced to 3 science publishing will move - it b charge undergraduates. o is a matter of sooner or later." Speaking at a lecture last Monday on the role of Imperial in the future of Higher Loweth Education, the Rector refused to give an exact time-scale, but suggested that top-up fees could be introduced by the turn of the to Go century. "It will not be in the immediate future, and we will BY THE NEWS TEAM not be alone," he said. As a member of the Russell Group of The main Imperial College top universities, which includes repair and maintenance contrac- Oxford, Cambridge and the LSE, tors, Loweth and Company, look Sir Ronald is believed to have 'dramatic changes' which are recent expansion in student set to lose their IC work. Their previously considered the intro- happening to higher education. numbers. He was particularly agreement comes up for review duction of top-up fees to boost He was critical of much of the enthusiastic about the idea of this July. Last year the company their falling budgets. present university environment, continuing education. This was reappointed after an annual He emphasised the import- describing the highly influential would encourage graduates to assessment, but with their ance of College developing a Higher Education Funding return to university during their quality of work being questio- more flexible approach to Council for England as being 'at working careers for retraining ned, the contract is once again teaching, as well as finding a way times hostile and threatening'. increasing interaction between going out to tender. to be more economical. High- The Committee of Vice higher education and industry. Ron Jeeves, College's lighting the need for the College Chancellors and Principles The Rector highlighted the Operations Manager, has said to vigorously defend its approach (CVCP), which attempts to striking changes seen in the level that it is 'likely that we will not to undergraduate teaching, he represent all higher education of student finance, showing employ them' after the current said that "if we plan without heads, had 'shifted away from the figures which indicate that by the tendering procedure. While recognising that our position in kind of things we do and the end of the century funding per emphasising that the re- the world has changed, we could kind of values we cherish'. student will have halved from tendering is 'part of the natural make some very bad decisions." The wide ranging talk 1980 levels. Sir Ronald is process' he later admitted that 'it Sir Ronald expressed discussed the changing relation- believed to personally prefer the is almost certain' that another concern that the older, elite ships between teaching, research option of graduate tax over top- company will take over the universities, will lose out in the and industry in the light of the up fees.