www.thegryphon.co.uk @_TheGryphon Issue 2 07/10/16 Theofficial newspaper of LeedsUniversity Nipple-Bocker-Glory We chat to Josie Partridge about nipple inspired jewellery Page 7 Claims Uni IT cuts ledto Technical Failure Jessica Murray Editor-in-Chief The university has beenexperiencing serious technical failures all week, with the Portal, VLE, lecture capture and other IT services all crashing on Monday, and going down sporadically over following days. The Leeds branch of University and College Union (UCU) claim the increase in technicalfaults is down to the university’s management Image: Daniel Mortimer cuts and under-investment in IT infrastructure. The organisation, which represents academic and academic-related staff Historic RugbyWin including many IT staff, believes recent IT staff cuts and aplanned reorganisation will increase the number of IT failures and impact on the university’s core provision. ForLeeds Uni Auniversity spokesperson said: “This was apurely technical issue and was due to problemswithITinfrastructure Univeristy of Leedsstorm aheadtotakethe Rugbytitle that manages network traffic flow. We worked quicklytoresolve the issue PollyHatcher culminatingwiththe Men’sRugby Union titlefor the12thyearrunning.However, on the affected systems, including News Editor GrandFinaleatthe Headingley Stadium. thegap betweenthe overall scores is lecture capture, the portal, VLE and Arecordcrowdof15,535peopleattended decreasing, as thisyearBeckett wonby our websites. Some key services Forthe first time in many years, theevent,comparedto14,250lastyear. amarginofonepoint compared with have nowbeen moved to alternative LeedsUniversityhavewon therugby 18 studentswereremoved from the threelastyearand sixthe year before. infrastructure.” However, they failed to union matchatVarsity,althoughthey stadiumand will face disciplinary Beckett teams took both the comment on the dispute with UCU over missed outonthe overall Varsitycrown. meetings.Despite afew (clothed) male andfemaleathleticstitles the IT reorganisation. TheGryphonsbeatBeckett with a pitchinvaders,thiswas down on andwon all seventennisfixtures. Tim Goodall, president of the UCU scoreof20-9, despite theopposing last year’s eightstreakers,probably UniversityofLeedsdominated local association said: “The university team being in ahigherleague. duetothreatofan£1000 fine. in thehockey, winningseven out hascut IT staff numbers, losing many Varsityisthe biggestsportingevent Thefinalscore across all sporting of eightpossible titles, with only experienced staff, without replacing of theuniversityyear, with 60 fixtures events was32-31,withLeeds Beckett thewoman’s first team losing.Uni them. across 25 different sports in aday, coming outontop to take theVarsity also took allthe swimmingtitles. Read more on page 2 2 | News thegryphon.co.uk Editor’s Letter: Feminism hascomealongway can people saythatfeminismisirrelevant?Whenwestill live in a in thespace of ahundred years. societywhere fightingsexismresults in womenbeingaccusedof In thetwentieth century, to be lackingasense of humour or being toosensitive,how can people afeministwas to be radically saythatfeminismisirrelevant? different,breakingawayfromthe It wasannounced thisweekthattakingthe contraceptivepill Contents constricting andstifling prescribed is strongly linked to depression. It createdasenseofvindication normsofthe time. amongstmanywomen whohavestruggled with thesideeffects 3-5 News Sadly, even nowtosay that you’re of taking thepillfor years, butoften sufferinsilence,not being afeministisoften to be metwith taken seriouslybydoctors or friends. Womenbecomestigmatised 7-10 Features rolling eyes,asigh, an “Ofcourseyou by theirhormones; oftenaccusedofbeing‘angry’ or ‘irrational’if are”.Feminismhas in some ways becomea they’reontheir period,and nowforcedtodealwiththe effects of 12-15 Views trend, with everyonejumping on thebandwagon,but with an equal hormonal imbalancesand resultingmentalhealthissuesresulting amount of people arguingthat, in thisday andage,feminismis from taking controlofour sexuality andtakingthe pill. 16-17 Science unnecessary, just an excuse forpeople to have arantonFacebook This is of course nottodisregard thedebilitating effectgender anduse apopularhashtag. expectationshaveonmen as well.Suicide is thebiggest killer of 18 Society However,asNipple-Bocker-Gloryfounder JosiePartridge argued menunder 45 in theUK, and76% of allsuicidesin2014were (page7), feminism in thisday andage is more necessarythan men. Menare constrainedbysociety’s ideals of masculinity 19-24 Sport ever.Josie createsstrikingjewellery outofcasts of nipples, from –men aren’t expectedtotalk abouttheir emotionsortoshow bodiesofall shapes andsizes.She’s an artist fightingagainsta weaknessinour proscribed versionofmasculinity. What we need societywhich plasters picturesofhalfnaked women on billboards to understand,however,isthatfeminismisthekey to breaking andinmagazines,yet criticises womenfor breastfeedinginpublic down both of theseproblems.Weneed asociety in whichwomen Quoteofthe Week andnot covering uponnightsout.Her Instagram accountwas aren’t dismissedfor being emotional andirrational,justasmuch disabledfor ‘inappropriate content’ -thatis, women’snipplesthat as we need asociety that allows mentoexpresstheir emotions don’tconform to society’sbeautyideals. withoutbeingcategorisedas‘unmasculine’. Mark my Similarly, Emma Watson hasbeenshutdownbyvarious It’s clearthat, despite theimprovements in gender equality words, we commentators fordaring to speakout aboutgenderinequality throughout thecourseofthe twentiethcentury,feminismisstill “ “ “ “ –Imean, she’sonlyan‘actress’ afterall,whatdoesshe know? hugely needed in oursociety. will make (page15) Shewas mocked andbelittled by journalist RodLiddle “breakfast- forher ‘whining,leftie, PC crap’. When we stillliveinasociety JessicaMurray, Editor-in-Chief wherewoman having an opinionisdismissed as ‘whining’, how [email protected] Brexit, a success. Andrew RT Davies, Writefor Us: Welsh Tory leader Want to become aGryphon journalist? Whether you’re passionate about politics or pugs, news or Netflix, we want Credits you to join our team! Search us on Facebook and come alongtoone of writer’s meetings to get started! Editor-In-Chief ~ JessicaMurray SectionMeeting Times: AssociateEditor ~ DominicJohnson AllinThe Gryphon office upstairs in LUU DigitalAssociate - FloraTiley News:Mondaysat1pm News ~Polly Hatcher, Sarah Berry,Euan Views:Thursdays at 5pm Hammond Society -Elsa Amri,Bea Features:Wednesdays at 5.30pm Warleta Science:Thursdays at 1pm Continuedfromthe front page Features ~Jessie “They have lost valuable expertise and are only now starting to Florence Jones, Hannah Business:Wednesday 1pm Macaulay, Ella Healing plan how they want to deliver high quality IT with fewer staff and Society:Mondays at 2pm fewer experts.” Views -RoryClaydon, Tim told The Gryphon,“We want to engage meaningfullywith LiamKerrigan, Jess Readett Sport:Fridays at 2pm the university to make this reorganisation work, and we want an assurance there will be no more job cuts, no downgrading of people Science ~Sam Music and Clubs:Tuesdays at 3pm or roles, and staff across the university want to be assured that McMaster,Dougie Phillips we will continue to have the IT expertise we need in schools and Fashion:Mondaysat4pm faculties todeliver the specialist work we do.” Sport ~LukeEtheridge, At this stage UCU is not balloting for industrial action, and are JamesFelton, Zoe Arts:Mondays at 5pm hopeful an agreement will be reached to prevent redundanciesand Thresher,JohnGibby Lifestyle and Culture:4.30pm invest in universityIT. Design -Becky Nolan, UCUhave started apetition to ‘Support Our IT Services’ which you Frazer Sparham Blogs:Tuesdays at 5pm can read and sign online at leedsucu.org.uk. thegryphon.co.uk News | 3 Newuniversity ranking system to driveupfees Ian White The government insists that the new framework scrapped, this further increase signals another rise will allow students to make more informed decisions, in the cost of attending university, with fees possibly Thegovernment has signalled that it is preparing to but auniform rise in fees may disproportionately reaching £10,000 by the end of the decade. abolish the £9000 cap on tuition fees, allowing them affect students from less privileged backgrounds. 2015 was the first year there was adecrease in to rise with inflation. An increase of £250 is expected The new rankings will be assessed by an independent the numberofnew students from working class for students applying for 2017 entry. panel and will be based on statistics like dropout rates, backgrounds applying for university. Further increases This increase has been linked to anew university graduate employment rates and student satisfaction. in fees could see this worrying trend continue as the ranking system set to be trialed over the next two Universities minister Jo Johnson defended the plans financial burden discourages poorer students. years. Under the new framework universities are to be stating that “The framework will drive up quality in The details and effects of the new ranking framework ranked bronze, silver or golddepending on the quality the sector…[and] give students clear, understandable won’t become apparent foryears to come. of the teaching they provide. information about where the best teaching is on To the government it represents acompetition based The projected 3.2% rate of inflation for the next offer”. method of driving up standards, for its detractors it’s two years suggests that fees will