Imperial President Sends Mass Email on EU Stance Email Said "It Is Not Our Role to Tell People How to Vote" but Mentioned Pro-EU Position
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ISSUE 1635 FRIDAY 20th MAY 2016 The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London What's the deal with Mega-super-puzzles study drugs? special PAGE 10 FEATURES PAGE 26 PUZZLES Imperial President sends mass email on EU stance Email said "it is not our role to tell people how to vote" but mentioned pro-EU position n Monday, Imperial that was published in the Sunday EU Referendum". President, Alice Gast, Times. The Education Act of 1986 only and Provost, James She added, “While it was enforces a “balanced presentation Stirling, sent an email to important for the College to of political views” within a school all staff and students, encouraging articulate its point of view, it is environment. There is no such Ous to vote and reminding us of their not our role to tell people how to rule at universities. Imperial’s own stance on the EU. vote”, despite having just described communications and Freedom of After encouraging recipients Imperial’s part in producing pro-EU Speech policies also allow this – to register to vote in the June evidence for the House of Lords. Professor Gast seems to be well referendum, Professor Gast Professor Gast then hung back, within her rights to have emailed described how Imperial had saying, “The issues associated students and staff encouraging them “contributed to collective efforts in with the referendum are complex to vote a certain way. the higher education community and affect different individuals, Imperial’s own students for to understand and communicate companies and institutions in Brexit campaign team told FELIX: the impact of EU membership different ways”. So, vote how you “While we applaud Professor Gast on research and education” and want, we guess. for encouraging staff and students mentioned the pro-EU open letter The email's subject line was to vote, we disagree..." she had signed back in February, "Message to the Community on the continued on page 4 Aero students invited to will.i.am gig because director liked their boiler suits They were taking their class picture outside the Royal Albert Hall when they were ‘discovered’ wenty first yeardirector approached and offered the red carpet (which was black), were aeronautics students students 20 free tickets to the sold directed to the VIP room and were were given free tickets out gig if they turned up that night greeted with canapes and Prosecco. to a will.i.am gig at the in their boiler suits. He attempted to They were interviewed by the Royal Albert Hall gig last week, lure the young aeronautics students director before the gig, which was afterT being spotted in their boiler by describing will.i.am’s investment filmed by will.i.am’s team. suits taking an end of year picture in NASA robotics projects. They then saw the show from the outside the venue earlier that day. When the students returned arena, right next to the stage. A Apparently impressed by the that evening, in their boiler suits, couple of them... group’s aesthetic, the concert’s they were allowed to walk up the continued on page 3 th PAGE 2 THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON FRIDAY 20 MAY 2016 felixonline.co.uk [email protected] Contents A word from the Editor News 3 Editor-in-Chief Grace Rahman Letters 6 h hey! Didn’t see you The first time I wrote for the News Editor Matt Johnston Comment 7 there. Welcome to this paper was in the TV section. Like your fifth-to-last issue many media-leaning millennials, Comment Editors Features 10 of FELIX for this my instant reaction to particularly Tessa Davey and Vivien Hadlow academic year. No, I’m not counting visceral content (Beyoncé’s Science Editors Science 12 Othem down. I just want to put a Lemonade, Katie Hopkins) is a Jane Courtnell and Lef Apostolakis suitable amount of pressure on you think piece. So I sent something Music 15 to get involved. into FELIX, and then accidentally Arts Editors Never written for us? That doesn’t became the music editor. That was Indira Mallik, Jingjie Cheng and Max Falkenberg Film 19 matter. All you need to do is send an a laugh, so I thought I’d give being email to one of the section editors, the full-time editor a try. You guys Music and Games Editor Games 21 either pitching an idea for an article agreed, so I did this for year. This Cale Tilford or if you’ve written something was slightly more serious, but still Film Editor Food 22 already, the piece itself. It’s that mainly a laugh. Regardless of your Fred Fyles easy! We accept procrasti-pitches ambitions in a career sense, I urge TV 25 and feelings-heavy comment pieces you to use the fact that Imperial Puzzles Editors that you will regret having written has a student newspaper to improve Hamish Beck and Roxana Radu Puzzles 26 in your thirties. your writing skills. We have editors Many newspapers have had their Food Editor I am biased, but getting involved here to help and guide you. Every own causes they’ve passionately Sanjay Bhattacharya Hangman 31 in the paper is great. Nothing beats job has an application form, and the campaigned for. The Daily Mail the feeling of seeing your name in only way to improve your written can count the plastic bag ban as Clubs & Societies Editor Abi de Bruin Welfare 32 print, correctly spelled. Even if it is communication is to practise. I one of its successes. The Guardian spelled wrong, you still feel pretty sound like your mum, I know. She has Snowdon. And I hope that TV Editor FELIX, Beit Quad, nice. We’re a friendly bunch, with says hi, by the way. one day, the Editor of FELIX can Saad Ahmed Prince Consort Road, a nice big office in the basement This week, it’s exam season, so say "We helped the library get air Technical Babe London SW7 2BB of Beit, with Macs and hot-takes we’re focussing on the things that are conditioning". Luke Granger-Brown Tel: 020 7594 8072 galore. So write a couple of pieces, probably concerning you right now: I urge you to sign our petition to Printed by Iliffee Print Cambridge, see if you like it, and then think focus-enhancing study drugs and get air con installed, and if you insist Copy Editors Winship Road, Cambridge about joining our team of editors the desperately high temperatures on taking non-prescribed Modafinil, Mattin Mir-Tahmasebi and Henry Registered Newspaper Lloyd-Laney next year. in the library. to be careful when crossing roads. ISSN 1040-0711 Copyright © FELIX 2016 An apology to Dr Bernard Lamb n Issue 1622, dated the 15th January 2016, the editorial discussed a story concerning former Imperial academic, Dr Bernard Lamb. In this editorial, IDr Lamb was described as a bigot, which FELIX accepts was an offensive and unnecessary word to use, and also suggested that Dr Lamb disapproved of people of mixed ethnic heritage, which is incorrect. Therefore, FELIX would like to offer an apology to Dr Lamb for the accusation of bigotry. In fact, Dr Lamb has supervised and worked alongside international students throughout his career, and has enjoyed decades of friendship with students of many nationalities and ethnicities. As Editor of FELIX, I retract these comments and apologise to Dr Lamb for the offense we have caused him. felixonline.co.uk FRIDAY 20th MAY 2016 PAGE 3 NEWS [email protected] Petition started to get air conditioning in library The change.org petition needs your signature Grace Rahman So let’s politely request that the Editor-in-Chief library, where many of us have spent so many uncomfortable, sweaty hours, gets some air con. he college got planning The library is not to blame – the permission for air librarians want air conditioning as conditioning units on much as we do. So let’s help them the library’s roof two out by demanding that college years ago, but little has happened stump up the money and finally get sinceT then. The library told FELIX this sorted. earlier this week that sorting out the A consultation in 2014 found temperature of the worst affected that the most common library gripe top floors would cost in the region amongst students was the fact that of £13.5 million and that so far, it was too hot. They’ve done their college had only allocated them half market research, and now the work of that figure. just needs to be funded. They’re still waiting on the other So, sign it today at half, and that’s where you come in. felixonline.co.uk/go/library. Time is Only you guys can make this running out – planning permission happen. If you want to be an agent doesn’t last forever. The quicker we of real change, sign our change.org persuade college, the more likely you petition, requesting that Imperial are to benefit from the change. This put air conditioning in the library. week’s white paper makes it clear Then spread the word, because that students are now customers. without those numbers, college Universities will have to start paying simply won’t listen. attention to satisfaction ratings, as We know £6.75 million is a lot of it will affect how much they can money, but we also know college has charge in fees. Imperial, like any that kind of cash. We, as Imperial, other university, has to care what its don’t ask for much. We don’t occupy students want.