fb.com/warwickboar

twitter.com/warwickboar theboar Wednesday 29th October, 2014 Student Publication of the Year 2013 Est. 1973 | Volume 37 | Issue 3

Interview goes Warwick Black History 2014 Oscar Boar Science with VC Nigel ghost hunting Month pullout predictions Thrift page 16 pages 17-20 page 5

Staff to strike again over pensions More on page 2 » Photo: Sy / Flickr

the single most important thing you will do Find out about opportunities with teachfirst.org.uk/graduates

Sponsored by: TF2897 The Boar Warwick 265x44 Banner.indd 1 18/12/2013 16:37 2 News theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWStheboar.org 2 Warwick may see another year of strikes and marking boycotts UCU members voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action following proposed changes to pensions

Harmony Ngwamah lower than in post-92 universities and when they would start.” dustrial action. dents’ Union released a statement such as Coventry. Talks to settle this dispute over Concern within UCU stemmed the same month stating: “we clear- “Pensions are fundamental to pensions between the UCU and the from the belief that staff at older ly cannot support students’ futures Staff members across 69 UK uni- good universities, because the ex- em- ploy- universities “will have pensions up being used as leverage in an exter- versities voted overwhelmingly pectation of a secure pension in to 36 percent worse than their col- nal pay dispute, and are deeply con- for industrial action on October retirement is what makes a career leagues at other universities” if the cerned about the impact a marking 20 following proposed changes to as a university teacher worthwhile. changes are implemented. boycott may have on our members.” their pensions known as the Uni- Many members feel this is an at- The Union believes that this versities Superannuation Scheme tack on the basis of their career. could then lead to difficulties in University response (USS). “Warwick branch believes “recruitment and retention of The University was “surprised” The proposed industrial action that the employers’ proposals the brightest talent” in these by the decision made to hold a bal- could take the form of a marking are based on false assump- older universities. lot on industrial action, as negotia- boycott where staff will refuse to tions and bad economics. We tions over changes to pensions are mark students’ coursework and ex- are obviously very unhappy Student academic experi- still ongoing at a national level. ams. about having to take indus- ence However, they hope that the 78 percent of members in the trial action again so soon af- Hasan Suida, first-year PPE scheduled talks will lead to a “sus- University and College Union ter the last strikes on pay (and undergraduate, was unhappy tainable and attractive pension (UCU) voted in favour of strike ac- only three years since the last about the potential effect the scheme” being put in place, so that tion and 87 percent voted for action industrial action about the USS). proposed strike action would the studies of students will not be at short of a strike. “As regards the students’ ac- have on students. a high risk of being disrupted. ademic experience, all members He said: “A marking boycott, In an interview with Nigel Thrift, “We are appalled” of the academic staff are very re- something that directly affects vice chancellor of the University, Dennis Leech, Warwick UCU luctant to go on strike. Last time, my ability to improve as a learner, on October 23, Mr Thrift told the president, said: “We are absolute- they did everything they could to makes me want to stand against in- Boar: “The University would prefer ly appalled by the proposals. It is prevent students’ learning being » Photo: chrisinplymouth / Flickr dustrial action.” the strikes didn’t [happen again]. only three years since the rules of disrupted. But there is a different However, he also expressed con- But at the same time, we are aware the pension scheme (USS - Uni- feeling this time. I think the indus- ers’ representatives were scheduled cern for staff by acknowledging of the concern that staff have over versity Superannuation Scheme) trial action is bound to affect the for Wednesday 22 October. that a “decrease in pensions could their pensions. We’ll simply have to - were last changed... We were told students’ academic experience.” Planned changes to the USS, ac- negatively affect their personal wait and see, I can’t predict what’s then that the rule change would be UCU general secretary, Sally cording to Universities UK (UUK) lives and their performance”. going to happen. sufficient to deal with the funding Hunt, also stated: “UCU members which is the body responsible for Deanne Hay, a first-year Psy- “I’d like to think that it would be problems. at universities across the UK have proposing these changes, came chology undergraduate, voiced a the case [that Warwick staff may be “The proposed changes will made it quite clear today that they about as a result of a budget deficit similar opinion. He said: “although worse off than staff at newer uni- mean that all staff members will reject the radical changes being estimated at £8 billion. I am against reduced pensions, not versities in terms of pensions]. It’s face a cut in their pensions when proposed for their pensions. UUK asserts that “the proposed marking or assessing exams is ex- important that we get to provide they retire. Some of the them could “...If the employers do not ad- changes are about securing the USS t re m e .” good pension facilities.” be very large indeed – 27 percent. It dress our concerns then we will for the future, not just funding the When lecturers threatened a will also mean that pensions at uni- meet on Friday to determine what past service deficit”, and so were marking boycott in April 2014 over versities like Warwick will be a lot forms of disruptive action we take “disappointed” by the votes for in- the issue of staff pay, Warwick Stu- theboar Editorial Team Editor Rebecca Myers NEWS Ann Yip MUSIC Sam Evans [email protected] [email protected] Samuel Lovett [email protected] Jacob Mier April Roach Deputy Editors Raghav Bali TV Laura Primiceri [email protected] Daniel Cope COMMENT Hiran Adhia [email protected] Ellie Campbell Sian Elvin [email protected] Sandeep Purewal

Sub-editors Samantha Hopps MONEY Marc Barac SCIENCE & TECH Cayo Sobral [email protected] Shaquille Basar [email protected] Osman Hassan [email protected] Hannah Campling Junaid O’Balogun Helena Green TRAVEL Samantha Hopps Sophia Schoepfer FEATURES Rami Abusamra [email protected] Farah Chaudhry Florence Vane [email protected] Roxanne Douglas SPORT Luke Brown Director of Business Alessandro Presa LIFESTYLE Bethan McGrath [email protected] Warren Muggleton [email protected] [email protected] Chloe Wynne

Head of Sales Pamela Rajadurai ARTS Catherine Lyon [email protected] [email protected]

Head of Marketing Kate Mant BOOKS Emily Nabney [email protected] [email protected] Carmella Lowkis Lucy Skoulding Photography Editor Ife Akinroyeje [email protected] Tom Lord FILM Paulina Dregvaite Alex Sturtivant [email protected] Andrew Russell

Head of Logistics & Distribution Derin Odueyungbo GAMES Gabriella Watt [email protected] [email protected] Joe Baker

Get in touch:

WE WANT YOU! SUHQ, Floor Two theboar is printed on 100% recycled paper University of Warwick Leave your paper for someone else when finished To write for your student paper University Road Coventry theboar is the University of Warwick’s CV4 7AL editorially independent student newspaper Email the section editors above if produced entirely by and for students. Except where otherwise noted, theboar and the you want to write for the paper works in theboar are licensed under: [email protected] http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk 3 News theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWStheboar.org 3 Campus-dwellers concerned about rats near accommodation News in brief Fathma Al-Hamali

homas Docherty, professor » The largest sightings of rats occurred at the Lakeside, Heronbank and Sherbourne areas of campus. Photo: Warwick Media Library of English and Compar- ative Literature, who was Andrew Armstrong Lakeside who had complained lived in Sherbourne last year but turbed them. They will therefore suspended by the Universi- about the rats claimed that rats did not seem disconcerted by the be more visible, but there is no in- Tty of Warwick is to be cleared of any were seen specifically around bins rats on campus. He said: “I don’t crease in this problem that we are allegations after an internal inves- A large number of sightings of outside Lakeside, by the Arts Cen- have problems with rats but I might aware of.” tigation. Professor Docherty had rats have been recorded during tre and by Rootes. He added: “Rats understand why people would find The University has previously been charged with undermining the first weeks of term, with stu- are generally unhygienic and likely them disgusting.” employed a pest control company the authority of the former head of dents describing repeated glimps- to spread to disease.” which has employed bait boxes to the English department, Catherine es of the rodents close to Lakeside Other students however noted a try to remedy the problem. Bates. Previously, the University of and Rootes residences. similar problem with rats around “There were always the Warwick’s rural setting and the Warwick had denied that the sus- The University has acknowl- the area last year. treacherous rats. They were popularity of local duck and geese pension was in connection with his edged the increased prevalence of Ellie Finlay, a second-year His- huge and disgusting and I did flocks have been blamed. It has political views; a Warwick spokes- sightings but did not believe that tory of Art undergraduate who not like seeing them.” been suggested that feedstuffs and person said the University would the local rat population has in- lived in Sherbourne last year, said: Ellie Finlay treats given to these birds may be issue a full statement in the coming creased. “Whenever we walked past the being picked up by the rats. days. David Taylor, a carer of disabled lake, there were always the treach- Mr Dunn stated: “If people leave students living in Lakeside, said: erous rats. They were huge and Peter Dunn, director of press or throw more food at the birds on “It’s not like they are in our kitchens disgusting and I did not like seeing and policy at the University, stated: the lakes than those birds actually ight engineering students and rooms, it doesn’t matter. I’d say them. They were very unhygienic.” “People may have seen a few more want to eat, it does then end up en- from the University of geese poo was more unhygienic.” Second-year Engineering un- recently due to road construction couraging the rat population who Warwick are working on a However, a student living in dergraduate Rodion Isokov also and road works that will have dis- will then eat it instead.” project to design their own Esatellite and send it into space. Next year, they will take their creation to a launch site in northern Swe- Jailbreak set for another year of improvised adventure den, accompanied by their project director Dr Bill Crofts. There, a Simran Thakral transport is also allowed. to raise £30,000 and beat last year’s and unexpected projects. rocket will launch their satellite – Worldwide Cancer Research record raised. Anna Howarth, student fund- WUSAT 2 – into space. The satel- (WCR), which funds research into At WCR, they believe that one raising coordinator at WCR, com- lite will measure light frequencies Warwick Jailbreak, an annual any type of cancer anywhere in the scientist in one laboratory will mented: “Thank you to everyone from space and transmit them back charity hitchhike event, will com- world, is the charity supported this never discover the cure for can- that has signed up to Warwick to the team. These measurements mence this year on Saturday 1 year. cer. Their aim is thus to encourage Jailbreak so far. You will not just can help detect other planets in the November at 10am and end after This year’s teams are challenged some of the world’s most diverse be taking part in an incredibly fun galaxy that are capable of support- exactly 36 hours on Sunday 2 No- adventure, you will effectively be ing life. This project is backed by vember at 10pm. saving lives.” the European Space Agency and it As this year marks the 10th anni- Ms Elvin commented: “Previous is the second student satellite de- versary of Warwick Jailbreak, Sian winners have made it as far as Lith- signed at the University. Elvin, media officer of the event, uania, Los Angeles, Vancouver and announced: “We’re going to cel- even Bangkok – how far will the ebrate this fantastic milestone by students get this year? he University of Warwick making 2014’s event bigger and bet- “We cannot wait to find out, and is running the Student ter than ever.” along the way try and smash 2013’s Switch Off Campaign The participants have 36 hours fundraising total for an absolutely again this year. The Stu- to get as far away as they can from brilliant cause.” Tdent Switch Off is a not-for-profit campus without spending any A Guinness World Record at- campaign that encourages students money. tempt is also taking place on the to save energy when living in uni- The main mode of transport will morning before the event begins, versity halls of residence. The four be hitch-hiking, however, attempt- which is to get more than 304 peo- main energy saving tips they en- ing to get free tickets on public » Photo: Warwick Jailbreak ple in a single pair of underpants. courage are: switching off lights and appliances; not overfilling the kettle; limiting the time the heating is on; and putting the lid on sauce- 15 Warwick students join Lloyds Scholars Programme pans when cooking. The hall that saves the most energy wins money Mallika Vaznaik Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Edin- “It was only when I got an email for view and assessment interviews. towards their end of year party. Last burgh, Oxford, Sheffield and Uni- the second time telling me that the Adam Mesout, a Mathemat- year the prize went to Redfern. versity College London. deadline was extended that I actu- ics student from Bournemouth, 15 Warwick students have recent- Amarjot Sidhu, a Philosophy, ally looked into the scholarship.” said: “Lots of experience dealing ly been added to the scholarship Politics and Economics student Mr Khatun also added: “It was with people in a professional en- he Times Higher Educa- scheme run by the Lloyds Bank- from Gillingham, stated: “Warwick an excuse for me to fix up my CV! vironment from work helped me tion (THE) has ranked ing Group, as a branch of its Help sent an email about it, which was The application process itself was through my interview.” the University of Warwick Britain Programme. the point I decided to consider ap- quite intense, especially the as- The monetary benefits of the as the tenth top UK Uni- The banking group intends to plying. I had, however, heard about sessment centre day. It was really scholarship include a £1,000 bur- Tversity for the Arts. Categories of invest £17 million in five years on the scheme before this. helpful in enabling me to develop sary at the start of each academic assessment include: teaching; inter- 720 talented undergraduates from “I applied for it this summer just my interview skills (mainly compe- term. national outlook; industry income; homes where the household in- before coming to university. The tency-based) as I had never had a Cash awards based on academ- research; and citations. The Uni- come is under £25,000. recruitment process started in July proper interview before!” ic achievement and end of course versity has dropped slightly in the The programme allows scholars and I found out whether I got a Students have to undergo a rig- excellence awards act as further THE World University Rankings to attend any of the top eight part- place on it in September.” orous selection process to be cho- incentives to motivate students to table having dropped from being ner UK universities. Other than Taznema Khatun, a Politics stu- sen by the programme including a make most of their opportunity. 44 in 2013-14 to 46 in 2014-15. Warwick, these universities include dent from Birmingham, admitted: numerical test, a telephone inter- theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWS 4 4 News theboar.org Student media freedom of press concerns over Plymouth Uni editor A student journalist from Plymouth University was threatened with expulsion after publishing a story Derin Odueyungbo backs up; I was trying to stick up was a lie. “Considering the amount stu- for students and I was being sup- Six months later a local paper re- dents are paying these days I think pressed and fobbed off.” ported the story. we should be more than entitled Editor’s Note The former editor of Plymouth In an email sent to her by a Ms French explained: “I had a to express opinion and inform the University’s student newspaper vice-president of USPU, it was out- meeting with [one of the universi- student body about university is- Rebecca Myers has spoken of her shock when she lined that she would face “Stage 3 ty’s communications staff]. She said sues. The fact that the girl has been Editor was threatened with expulsion af- dismissal from university or sus- she didn’t want us to pursue stories threatened with expulsion is dis- ter publishing a story uncovering pension”. that portrayed the university in a graceful.” Any journalist planned cuts to student services. “I panicked and burst into tears,” bad light. A spokeswoman for UPSU said: - student or pro- Katie French, who at the time Ms French recalls. “I felt very iso- “She also said that if I’d played “UPSU can confirm it has received fessional - values was editor of The Knowledge, re- lated but at the same time I knew ball earlier in the year there would a complaint from a former student freedom of speech vealed plans to cut a disabled stu- we were doing the right thing. At have been an opportunity for me to relating to the handling of a society at the very high- dents’ support scheme by £260,000. the end of the day I was just trying go to Miami with them. That was issue around six months ago. est level. Any journalist - student She also published a story unearth- to report on things that students just insulting.” “UPSU takes all complaints seri- or professional - has the right to ing alleged overspending by the have the right to know about.” Selina Sykes, a former news re- ously and will therefore fully inves- freedom of speech and freedom to university. In April, Ms French was told of a porter for the Boar who is now tigate this matter in a sensitive and report the truth. The former student journalist universities conference in the USA studying a Journalism MA at King- confidential manner out of respect Katie French has spoken about spoke of attempts to silence her by on which the university allegedly ston University, added: “I think of duty of care to both complainant “doing the right thing”, despite senior figures in the University of spent £24,000 sending six senior editorial independence in student and those she has made the com- threats from her University to exer- Plymouth Students’ Union (UPSU). officials to. When she attempted media is really important. The uni- plaint about for whom this is also cise “Stage 3 dismissal” against her, Ms French said: “I started put- to investigate the story further, Ms versity should be held to account if distressing for.” for reporting “stories that portrayed ting up some articles that got their French was told by UPSU that this there is good reason to. the university in a bad light”. Despite the threats, Ms French stuck by her reporting, which was, above all, shedding a much-needed spotlight on issues that badly affect- ed the welfare of disabled students. Here at the Boar, we maintain a happy and relationship with both the Union and the University, who respect our freedom of press. At Plymouth, the student journalists are not so lucky. The Boar stand in solidarity with Ms French and her struggle against the blackmail levelled at her by her university. Her stories have been working to bring greater welfare to her fellow students, and her work to do this will not be ignored by the wider student journalism community. No journalist should be threat- ened for reporting the truth. » Katie French spoke of attempts made to silence her by the SU at Plymouth. Photo: Jason Truscott / Flickr Themes and judges chosen RAG’s fundraising event ‘The Great Big Push’ Mr King also stressed the im- sands of pounds in just one day for Warwick Writing Prize Belinda Hills portance of postgraduate involve- through ‘The Great Big Push’. This ment this year, “We are estimating targeted amount seems achievable Isabel Goh nus and Lonely Planet founder 22 people from Warwick this year, according to Dr Andy Coe, con- Tony Wheeler, and physician and Warwick Raising and Giving we are hoping for a good amount of sultant paediatrician at the Uni- writer Gavin Francis. (RAG), the campus’s volunteering postgraduates but we will not turn versity hospital. He explained that Faculty, student, staff and alum- society, is encouraging everyone down anyone.” “The last time we held the Great The topic of ‘instinct’ has been na of the University of Warwick and to come together to raise money RAG are aiming to raise thou- Big Push we raised £6,000.” chosen as the writing theme for Monash University in Melbourne, for the Grace Research Fund on However, Dr Coe thinks that the 2015 Warwick Prize for Writ- Australia, will be able to nominate Saturday November 15. RAG needs more volunteers this ing. significant pieces of writing. The Grace Research Fund is a year, in order to push the bounda- The theme was unveiled at the Contrary to previous years, charity that supports local research ries, “We want to improve on those Cheltenham Literature Festival the prize will also be open to sub- into the causes of premature birth. achievements, and this event is only held on October 11. missions directly from publishers It is a community intervention to successful because of the generous The biennial literary prize, worldwide this year. support families with premature and enthusiastic efforts of everyone worth £25,000, is an international Dr Sarah Moss, co-director of babies. Jaundice measurements and who takes part”. cross-disciplinary award open to the Warwick Prize for Writing, premature labour in at-risk moth- In order to take part you must any genre or form of writing. said: “The Warwick Prize for Writ- ers are what the research fund are pay a fee of £10 per adult or £5 per The prize has been run by the ing is unique in celebrating the best aiming to provide in the future. student, all children who are aged University of Warwick since 2009 written English in any genre, prose The University hospital, Coven- 15 or below get free entry. A small and will also award the winner with or verse, print or electronic, polem- try and Warwickshire hospitals will amount of the money paid goes to- a short placement at the University ic or simply beautiful.“ be filled with brightly decorated wards a buffet meal which is pro- of Warwick. She added that this was an ex- trollies at 11am on Saturday. vided at the University of Warwick It was also announced at the fes- citing year for them as they invite Teams of students from War- Cryfield pavilion at the end of the tival that the judging panel will be submissions from publishers all wick and Coventry, together with mad dash and hot drinks are pro- chaired by Alison Kennedy, War- over the world, and their judges health professionals and families of vided en route. wick alumna and author. would need all experience to find premature infants will raise money RAG is encouraging small teams Ms Kennedy is an associate pro- the winner. and awareness by pushing shopping of four to enter and raise money fessor in the Department of English As the University of Warwick trollies and buggies for eight miles for the Grace Research Fund, this and Comparative Literary Studies will mark its 50th anniversary in to a finishing line at the University money will be put towards investi- at the University of Warwick and 2015, the announcement of the of Warwick’s Cryfield pavilion. gating the causes of premature birth teaches on the Warwick Writing winner in November next year will Andy King, the president of RAG and to help find the best forms of Programme. be an important part of the celebra- stated: “This is the first time RAG neonatal care. Accompanying her on the pan- tions. have funded the event and this year To register a team, email grac- el of five are author and academic Those who wish to make a nom- is vastly more focused on student [email protected] or Robert Macfarlane, actress and di- ination can do so online. involvement.” » Photo: Belinda Hills visit www.graceresearchfund.org rector Fiona Shaw, Warwick alum- theboar.org/News | @BoarNews | NEWS 5 4 News theboar.org Incentives being called Research says your maintenance for students to ‘stay local’ loans should have run out by now student maintenance loans last just ate clearing”. According to the re- Megan Bower half the time that they should. 78 Jesson Arroyo port, this would be similar to the percent spent the first instalment UCAS clearing system and would of their maintenance loan in six involve unsuccessful graduate job VoucherCodes.co.uk has found weeks, leaving more than six weeks Incentives for students to ‘stay applications being sent to local that UK students spend £2,115 be- of term to go with no government local’ are being called for fol- firms that are searching for jobs. fore they set foot in a lecture. support. lowing a think-tank report, pub- This would encourage those The survey of 1,500 students This financial situation impacts lished by the Royal Society for that cannot find work in areas and recent graduates showed that student performance, with 18 per- encouragement of Arts (RSA), around the UK to move back to students spend over a thousand cent reporting that they are dis- which revealed that students are the local area of their university. pounds on pre-university essen- tracted in lectures as a direct result likely to move away from the Jim O’ Neill, an economist tials and a further thousand on and 17 percent unable to buy the cities in which they graduate. and the chairman of the City of Freshers’ Week. course materials they need. The report found that there Growth Commission, remarked: The average student will spend Students’ health is also affected are “relatively low numbers “Surely it would be sensible to » Photo: lambiris / Flickr £212 on alcohol during Fresh- as 14 percent say that they have of graduates that stay in the consider pursuing a number of ers’, and an additional £100.28 for resorted to skipping meals to save cities where they graduate”. initiatives to either help or en- Similarly, Adam Gayton, a events tickets and entry fees to money and one in ten reporting in- The RSA think-tank proposed courage graduates to stay in the fourth-year law student, re- clubs, according to their research. somnia due to money worries. numerous incentives including metro areas where they graduate, marked: “I considered staying To try to make up for the pizza To make up for the financial the implementation of a final-year He added that such initiatives in the local area after I graduate and Jaegerbomb-fuelled week, 40 shortfall 57 percent of students rely “Refreshers Week” held and run could become “a key ingredient but considering that there aren’t percent of students will fork out on their overdraft and 60 percent by local authorities and agencies. to helping these cities prosper”. as many career options in the for gym memberships before the fall back on their parents for extra This would be designed to en- Warwick students remain divid- West Midlands, it would be bet- second week. Those surveyed re- cash. More than 65 percent of full- courage final-year students to stay ed on the benefits of staying local. ter to move to London instead.” ported that new clothes, takeaways time students get a part-time job. in the local areas of their univer- Many are aware that they do not Such opinion is reflected by the and supermarket food come in at Part-time work is said to come sity once they have graduated. want to stay in the West Midlands. fact that only 30 percent of War- another 100 pounds each during into conflict with studies, with 15 The week long event would offer Claudia Williams, a first- wick graduates taking work in the the first week of term. percent admitting that their part graduate advice, find appropriate year English Literature stu- UK stayed in the West Midlands. 67 percent of new and returning time job leaves them with insuffi- employment and help graduates dent, stated: “I applied to War- By contrast, 30.6 percent went students source their back-to-uni- cient time to study and 12 percent find housing in the local areas. wick University knowing that to London and the rest work- versity funds from parents and 69 regularly skipping lectures to work RSA think-tank also suggested I would not want to stay in the ing in other areas in the UK. percent draw heavily from their instead or being too tired after a developing a process of “gradu- West Midlands after I graduate.” maintenance loan. late shift to make it into university The survey suggests that UK for the next morning.

“We are walking along a tightrope” : interview with VC Nigel Thrift

Roadworks BOAR: How does the Univer- best deal that’s possible in the cir- but I think the job losses we’ve been thought about that? [With regards RAW (Phillip Stoneman): Were sity feel about staff strikes poten- cumstances. We are walking along talking about are a kind of exagger- to the timing of staff dismissal] it there any measures taken to pre- tially happening again? a tightrope; we are really trying to ation. doesn’t work quite like that. There vent roadworks from carrying NIGEL THRIFT: Well, it would make sure that we take the con- B: What about claims that such are all kinds of mechanisms in- into term time? There’s been a lot prefer they didn’t. We are aware of cerns of staff into account because job losses are a result of the Uni- volved in doing these kind of things of disruption with the roads still the concern staff have over their it’s the biggest thing most people versity embarking on spending and it’s quite a complicated process. being closed. pensions, and we expect that they have financially and one wants to projects towards its on the Re- NIGEL THRIFT: The main would be concerned. We’ll simply take care of it. search Excellence Framework Warwick Sport prices roads should’ve been finished by have to wait and see, I can’t predict B: What does it entail for the fu- (REF)? B: At the moment there doesn’t just about beginning of term, but what’s going to happen. ture of the University if pensions NT: Nearly all the money we get seem to be a concrete plan for some of the granite blocks got stuck B: How will the University re- for academic staff are lower than for building is deputed. Look at the where the money from the fee in- in a ship on the way from China. spond to the potential strike ac- those in newer universities? National Automotive Innovation creases is going to go, why didn’t That’s meant that the whole thing tion, in particular the exam and NT: There was a press statement Centre, a lot of that was funded by Warwick Sport clarify where the has been extended. The security coursework boycotts? that talked about how the pensions Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Steel - redistributed costs in favour of roundabout is problematic. They NT: For staff of course pensions in the new Universities would be we couldn’t move any of that mon- non-club members were going to found an enormous water leak are a really important thing and the better than those of the Russell ey, it couldn’t go anywhere else. We go before making the changes? which had been there for a very University is deeply aware of that. Group Universities. I think this has don’t have a lot of choice in a lot of NT: The only thing I can say is long time. They’re now having to We are trying to be as consultative to be proved before we go any fur- the income streams we have and that I know there was a lot of con- dig all of that out. Then the round- as possible. We started when we ther, I’m not sure we actually know where they go. sultation about it and I take it that about off Gibbet Hill Road that’s knew this was happening, as the that because we don’t know precise- So far as the REF is concerned, the consultation is simply going to being put in, we weren’t quite sure only British higher education insti- ly what will happen about the pen- the reason why it is so important be continued. It’s difficult for me when that was going to be put in tution I know, to produce individ- sions that the employers will offer. is because it brings money into the to say anything on that as I don’t and that was supposed to be a sep- ual consultations in advance of the So, I’d like to think that wouldn’t be University which keeps people in necessarily have to be informed on arate thing. consultation. The Council has also the case. It’s important that we’re jobs, not the reverse. If we didn’t every single thing in the University. The money that is available for produced a group of Lay members, able to offer good pension facilities. have that money then there would B: Considering that the War- these things is in a set time peri- those are people who are not part of be consequences for jobs. wick Sport price increases seem od, so we have to get it done fairly USS pension plan (part of the prob- Job losses B: You mean larger conse- to be quite a big deal, out of cu- quickly. At the same time, the pain lem is that almost everyone in the B: What does the University quences than those happening at riosity, how did University senior from this is very apparent, and I University is self-interested). They make of the UCU’s claims that the the moment? management not know about the apologise to all students and staff will then report back in November proposed job losses in the Medical NT: Let’s be very clear, we try proposed price increases when affected. But at the same time, if on what they think, and we will and Life Sciences Departments is very very hard with these kind of asked about it Term 3 of last year? we’re ever going to have a campus then convey that. due to a failure in management? things. PETER DUNN: At that stage, the where there is at least some degree The USS is not owned just by us NT: The University can’t afford B: If staff were to be dismissed price increases were still being dis- of free flow traffic, we have to do but by 67 or 68 other universities. to lose large amounts of money. If in the middle of the academ- cussed and consulted. something about it. It’s one of those We are only one vote in that num- a department starts to lose money ic year, does the University not things that just became difficult. ber. On the other hand we are very then we have to look at it and see think that this will harm students’ Interview by Ann Yip and Tamsin clear that we wish for our mem- what you can do about it. We’re academic experiences? Paternoster Staff pension dispute bers of the scheme here to have to trying to do a kind of adjustment, NT: But don’t you think we’ve Read more at theboar.org/news Sponsored by: theboar.org 8 Editor: Hiran Adhia 6 [email protected] Twitter @BoarComment COMMENT fb.com/groups/BoarComment STUDENT SOAPBOX Elizabeth Hurst theboar “The Great Divide” irst, some disclaimers. I was born in an old mining/mill town, not in the depths of a Fpit. Yes, I think chips and gravy has a certain soggy magic to it. In my Editors’ Letters first few weeks at Warwick, I have never been made more aware of my background, and more so my accent. Being from the northerly half of the country, I was shocked to find myself in a minority group to be made fun of when we say ‘tea’ “Communism “Student instead of ‘dinner’. My question is where are all the pie-eaters hiding? is not class-y” housing slugs” Are we all too ashamed to admit our northern past? It was a few days into freshers week before I found anyone from Gabriella Watt Chloe Wynne north of Birmingham. My first Games Editor Deputy Sports Editor northern friend happened to at- tend the same drama group as me t’s the kind of truth (almost) applied a different term). As I set lugs prefer to reside in cool, pus, so do make use of it. back in our factory smoke-filled universally acknowledged that about explaining this, having barely damp areas, namely compost I feel cheated by the system of childhoods. My second was a girl Communism has some pretty spoken a few words, I was silenced piles, underneath flowerpots student housing. For nearly £1,400 from Sheffield who I hugged by a attractive ideals, but that may and patronisingly given the Oxford Sand logs. Not in student houses. a month rent, it’s not unrealis- cash machine. Maybe it was relief, Ibe about it. Time reveals, prac- definition of humus. Yet, on the first night of settling tic to expect a house of comfort finding someone who pronounces tice begets greed and, far from the I was so appalled that I froze and into our second year abode, my with a drop of splendour; it’s a lot ‘bath’ the wrong way, like me. Utopian state, the reality of it all couldn’t defend my own position. I housemates and I somewhat rude- of money. Of course, the house Warwick has such a colourful amounts to the censorship of in- was wrong. I was slow. I didn’t un- ly walked in on, and disturbed a is sub-standard and students’ de- student body…yet I only know of dividuality and free speech (you derstand the definition of humus, mollusc fiesta in our kitchen. Amid served expectations negated, and one other northerner in my block. know, in a really stripped-down clearly. These were the impressions numerous other issues of chronic we have little power over the mon- But is this because northern ap- kind of way). My Warwick experi- put across by the tutor. In reality, damp, carpet moths, uncleanliness ey-grabbing lost boy who cashes in plicants just don’t get into top uni- ence this week was something like my opinion simply did not match and half-fitted fittings, the slugs our payments on the first of every versities as easily as their southern that. his, and so I was ‘educated,’ (humil- were just one of the straws set to month, but shows nothing in re- equivalents? Well maybe. Oxford’s I chose Warwick from the pile iated). And all of a sudden half the break the camel’s back and bring turn. admission statistics show the per- because it seemed to be the ideal group was nodding along solemnly our idealism of second year crash- It shocks me how little protec- centage of Northern (defined by kind of university – modern and to his voice, taking sides, because ing back down. tion there is within our legal system regions North East, North West, directly challenging. I picked Eng- that’s what you do when there is a Landlords, by law, have a respon- - protection for the student body and Yorkshire and Humberside) lish because the course allowed me definite authority in the room. You sibility to maintain their property with regard to private housing. students that applied to University to study some truly relevant writ- can be sure this only made the hu- fit for living standards, and thus Surely it is in the government’s best through UCAS made up 20.4% of ers – the still-alive-and-kicking miliation worse. have a duty of care towards tenants. interests to ensure that the money total applicants. Students from the type. There’s actually quite a few of What made my anger greater was This is less than an arduous task they lend us is being responsibly same areas comparatively represent those. So, in my second year, being knowing that English Literature, as considering that on private student and sustainably invested on the only 12.8% of places accepted at admitted onto one of the most con- a subject, is subjective, based on lets the rent income is worth ap- other end? Oxford. temporary modules was a big deal, individual speculation. The type of proximately double that of domes- “More needs to be done,” I can The reason for this? Blame the a moment of triumph over classic subject in which freedom of speech tic tenants. Yet, like a weird Nick hear myself saying with passive education system, or the rise of literature snobbery. Just a shame should be most present. For a tu- Clegg flashback, we’ve only been agreement from the Boar readers. the BBC accent. Too many of my about the eau-de-communist musk tor to cut someone off, overruling left with the countless empty prom- Think of it in these terms: you pay friends were put off moving too in the air. it because they favour their own, is ises of: “I will replace this and clean £14 for an otherwise £6 entry into far away from home. On Open The group had formed a casual not only rude, but unprofessional. that.” a club expecting Pacha, and all you Days everyone was too ‘different’ circle on cushioned seats, notepads It is their responsibility as shepherd When such issues like this arise, get is a Smack-like, polluted at- and ‘posh’. Instead they retreated out, book open before us. Then, to be impartial, to show an example landlords become renegades, neg- mosphere of pests and cold, both to Liverpool, Leeds, and Lancaster in the middle of the discussion, a of acceptance – it’s a sort of Spider- ligent of any and all liability. Our of which are detrimental to your where there is safety in numbers. term, which I’ll just say was ‘humus’, man moral (with great power…). Students’ Union, on the other hand, health. The bouncer has turned his I’ve been taunted for our brews, cropped up, a term which could be Anyway, it really ticked me off, provides second to none advice and back, escaping any and all duty of missing out the letter ‘h’, and asked seen as literally correct, but contex- so I sat down with my hump and support. We’re fortunate to have care. Do you accept the injustice if we even have electricity yet. The tually inaccurate in the novel (cer- an oversized cuppa joe and wrote such a well oiled-machine as the and party on, or demand a change north is much more than the facto- tainly as the author had deliberately about it. Advice Centre in the heart of cam- in value and values? ry chimneys and cobbled streets. It has rugged cities, stunning coun- tryside, and brilliant nightlife. The Beatles, The Smiths, The Arctic Monkeys, and the old women that A small note from the Comment Editor... natter to you on the bus. I will sip my Yorkshire tea in or the first time in the Boar’s If you are interested in writing, solidarity. I will take your insults. history, this entire section has then no previous experience is re- University is about meeting people been compiled of writers that quired. All you need is passion and from different backgrounds, and Fhave never been published in the an idea...then I can give you some I’m pretty proud of mine. newspaper before. Regardless of space to write in. There are no what year that they are in, each catches or hoops to jump through, name in the next four pages is a I will give you a word count and a Boar Fresher. deadline and will publish it provid- We took it upon ourselves as ing it meets our core mantra: ‘Be a section to reward those that provocative, not offensive.’ make this publication the best in Take a chance and drop me an the country. It starts with you. If I email at [email protected] hadn’t been given the opportuni- or join the Facebook group ‘Boar ty by the section editor in my first Comment’ with a pitch. Now read year, then I would not be able to through this paper and imagine Hiran Adhia write this note here. your name in the next one. theboar.org 9 7 |

Slut shaming is Cartoon Corner off the syllabus Zoe Morall

What a slut!”; “she had it com- ing, did you see what she was wearing?”; “it’s her own fault for “sending those pictures.” Recently, numerous scandals have plagued the Internet concerning women and sexual abuse. Sam Pepper sexually harassed women on the street in one of his famous ‘prank’ videos, and nudes of Jennifer Lawrence were leaked for public consumption. In- stances like these make me uncom- fortable, because they normalise and validate sexual abuse, and encour- age slut-shaming. Pepper remains a contributor to the YouTube community with mil- lions of fans, yet his video promotes a deeply unhealthy attitude towards women’s bodies. How many boys will see that video and believe that they can replicate his behaviour? How many girls will accept the same abuse if it ever happens to them? The Internet, especially revered YouTubers, is incredibly powerful in influencing people, particularly im- pressionable teenagers. When it comes to sexual rights, women are second-class citizens; we are told to ‘take it as a compliment’ if wolf-whistled at, or to expect ad- vances if our skirts are short enough. We live in a society that accepts » “Pre-Skool Dayz” Cartoon by Reece Goodall abuse. Jennifer Lawrence is not at fault, it was her right to share photos in what was “a loving, healthy, great relationship” (Vanity Fair interview Skool Dayz teaches us a bad lesson 08/10/14). The people who shared them online are culpable, yet she has re- Kate Orlandi-Fantini says that normalising the sexualisation of children is wrong ceived abuse and criticism. Our at- titude towards women is fundamen- here are fancy dress trends the belief some already hold that tional consciousness and blew open ising early sexualisation. Normali- tally flawed; instead of teaching girls which come and go and have this link is acceptable. the discourse on abuse. Why then, sation leads to a desensitisation, in self-defence, or how to dress ‘appro- little lasting impact, but this This perception is undenia- when the perception of non-judg- turn to widespread acceptance. priately’, we should be teaching boys Tone is different. To dress as a child bly coloured by the murky back- mental support is evidently key It is a choice not to attend, but not to view women’s bodies as public and go out to a nightclub sends drop of Operation Yewtree and the in giving victims the space to step there are still posters around cam- property, but to respect women as a strong message to survivors of Rotherham enquiries. Collectively, forward, are we still hosting events pus, photos on newsfeeds, and excit- equals. These discussions of gender abuse. It’s not one you might wish to upwards of 2,000 victims came for- which directly link adult behaviours ed talk amongst peers, which again equality need to begin in schools, in be sending. ward to report abuse at the hands of (such as drinking, clubbing, even beat home the perception that those sexual-education classes where con- The impact of nights such as treasured entertainers, starting with pulling), with children? around us see early sexualisation as sent is on the syllabus. Skool Dayz, however, goes further Jimmy Savile who committed sex- The faith that they will be be- acceptable. You yourself may not We need to abandon this anti- than the individual. It creates a per- ual assaults for the majority of his lieved is pivotal in giving victims the have direct experience of the issues quated opinion that women should ception at Warwick and beyond re- career in the BBC studios, in hospi- courage to come forward, not just raised, but Yewtree and Rotherham not be as sexual as men or afforded garding what we are willing to tals, even in Broadmoor. The victim around child abuse but following gave us opened the dialogue about the same respect if they are sexually condone concerning count for Savile alone reached over any form of sexual violence - this abuse, and raised awareness. Such a active. We need to stop slut-sham- the sexualisation 500. Following the first unapolo- is undeniable. The Guardian news- platform has been a long time com- ing, and start believing rape victims. of children. Events getically public revelation that this paper stated that throughout 2013 ing and is desperately needed, and We cannot generalise and pretend like Skool Dayz had been going on in Mark Wil- following these cases, the number to continue with the tired cliché of that these attitudes apply to all men. may appear to liams Thomas’s ITV documentary of rapes reported to the police rose ‘naughty schoolgirl’ is not only bor- However it remains a fact that wom- be “just a bit Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy by 29%, with 73% of the 5,020 ad- ing and outdated, but harmful to en’s sexual rights are placed below of fun” but Savile, broadcast in October 2012, ditional reports being recent occur- this discourse. men’s, that women’s bodies are ob- the link be- the reaction was remarkable. Within rences not connected to Operation I understand the appeal of the jectified from our advertisements tween sexed- hours, the public’s response was al- Yewtree. music, socialising, alcohol, but have to our newspapers, and that these up costumes most unanimously not on the side of If public solidarity with victims we really exhausted every other everyday occurrences of sexualis- and children their television favourites, but of the of sexual violence illicits such a theme? If it simply cannot be con- ation implicitly teach both men and is not one I victims. The public swell of anger strong response, it begs the ques- ceived to go to a fancy dress night in women not to respect female sexual am making on their behalf played a huge part tion why events such as Skool Dayz something which isn’t sexually pro- rights. suspect - it ex- in giving others the confidence to are allowed to continue. They send vocative, then at what low point did I ask you, therefore, how we can ists, strongly, come forward. a strong and adverse message to vic- children seem like a good idea? expect to move forward as a society, already, and In reaction to the Rotherham tims of abuse that the link between I want to attend a university when we teach women that a man’s events such as investigation we saw another over- school uniform and adult behav- which is inclusive, socially aware, inability to control his ‘base desires’ this actively whelming surge of support and iours is not only acceptable, but is and forward-thinking. At the mo- are a valid excuse for the abuse of normalise public empathy. It is now difficult in seen by their peers as simply tongue ment, that’s not the message my uni- her human rights? the light of these events to discuss in cheek. versity is sending me. » Photo: widespread sexual abuse in the UK Skool Dayz does not directly harm xubangwen / today, without referring to these children, to suggest such would be What do you think Flickr cases. They filtered into the na- laughable. It is, however, normal- about slut-shaming? Tweet: @BoarComment 7 theboar.org 8 Halloween is changing Victor De Rocha says YES Yan Han Goh says NO costume? he “Trick or Treat” tradition cities, for kids to walk freely ask- ’ve been ready for days, weeks, Trick or treating is a time for was an essential part of Hal- ing for sweets. Therefore, the fear and even months for Hallow- us to forget who we are for a day, Nour Rose Chehab loween. Almost a hundred that some disaster might happen een. I’ve shipped my Rilakkuma dress up as someone else and have Tyears had passed since the begin- makes it hard for parents to con- Ionesie all the way from Singapore some good fun. It is a time when ning of this festive custom, how- done this custom. and it’s hanging in my closet right we can let our imaginations run e’ve all been to one of ever, it became more obsolete see- The tradition of this folklore now, waiting to see the light. For wild. Batman stealing candy bars those Halloween parties ing that its practice happen solely had vanished long ago. What used those who are clueless as to what from the Joker? Hello Kitty with where the slutty nurse amongst middle-class families liv- to be a day for remember and hon- is Rilakkuma, it is a Japanese car- a mouth? Spongebob skipping Wends up throwing up on the pave- ing in small and safe towns across our the dead became a reason for toon brown bear known for being down the lane with Squidward? ment and Sponge Bob is passed the globe. youngster to dress up as princesses continuously lazy and relaxed – my Anything can happen. out on the bathroom floor. Firstly, teenagers shouldn’t and cowboys. It is also rare to see life’s dream. Trick or treating may seem like It’s that time of the year when participate in “Trick or Treat”, teenagers doing pranks if some- Halloween is the time for trick childish play, with several cities in you consciously buy too much because at this age the Hallow- one refuses to give them a treat. or treating, and I’m up for it this the United States actually banning candy because the offers are just een holiday becomes an excuse Although some rebellious teens year. Costume? Check. Giant envi- those above 12 years old from do- “too good to pass.” It’s also the for many to dress vulgarly. I am might still do it, most of them are ronmentally-friendly bag for col- ing so. It might be because life-size perfect occasion to purchase low not referring to women and men afraid of the severe consequences lecting candy? Check. Just turned Draculas complete with fake blood quality costumes for exuberant in their sixteens’ or eighteens’, but that damaging someone’s house six-years-old? Triple that. Despite stains are more frightening than prices (probably the same one as thirteen-year-old girls and boys, can implicate. my inappropriate age, Halloween cute, as compared to tiny toothless your ex’s new girlfriend) that you who are usually criticised for not Finally, “Trick or Treat” is be- is a tradition I and many other tots with protruding fangs asking will only wear once. Halloween is dressing adequately for Hallow- coming obsolete because of the children will upkeep this year, as for some gummy worms. now a 300 million pounds busi- een parties. many curfew policies that are seen should those after me. But the fun can still be had if ness and while the commercial- Secondly, trick or treating be- around countries, like the USA. In The term “trick or treat” dates you know where to draw the line. ism of this popular holiday is a came a tradition just for small some cities the parents even have back to 1927, when the tradition Granted, you might meet some relatively new phenomenon in the and rich neighbourhoods. Kids to lobby the local government in of kids dressing up in costumes crotchety neighbours or creepy UK, it has been going on in the in large cities - such as London, order to allow curfews to be ex- and knocking on doors for candy strangers, but the fun lies in going United States for a while now. Hong Kong or Boston - can’t tended. Alternatively, churches began. Early costumes were defi- out with friends to laugh, meeting Indeed, Halloween is lived go out at night knocking on and schools are holding events nitely not as fancy or well-tailored new people and most importantly, very differently nowadays than their neighbour’s doors asking such as “Trunk or Treat” to gather as the ones we can find in shops get some hard-earned candy. Why it was by past generations. The for sweets. The first reason for the youngsters satisfying worried today, but they most likely did the give up a tradition that has been American cultural influence, this is that most families live in parents. trick. going on for years? through movies and TV shows, buildings making it very incon- It is likely that soon fewer par- When we put on the costumes, I’ll readily admit that this is has certainly a lot to do with it. venient for children to pursue ents will allow their children to go we can take on the life of whoever the first year I’m going trick or Even the classic Halloween tra- this tradition. In addition, par- “Trick or Treating”. If it wasn’t for or whatever our costumes repre- treating, but it definitely won’t be ditions such as pumpkin carving ents also tend not to allow their kids from small towns the practice sent. Young boys live their dreams the last. If you see a brown bear and apple-bobbing are drastically sons and daughters to wander of “Trick or Treating” would have of being superheroes, while girls slothing around the corridor on changing, the latter even being around at night. The violence is- faded away a long time ago. may wear the pretty dress and tiar- October 31, don’t just get out your transformed into a drinking game sue makes it impossible, in many as. Or the other way round - what- sweets. Get out your costume and “Alcohol Apple-Bobbing” where ever suits their fancy. join me! the apples float in an alcoholic punch instead of in water. This change can also be detected in the kinds of costumes we wear. Being scary doesn’t seem as impor- Don’t drink and drown this Hallo’ween... tant anymore and an increasing Rebecca Banovic number of people tend to go for sexy or funny outfits. However, even if the practices he Royal Life Saving Society have changed, Halloween is still UK has launched a nation- one of the most exciting and pop- al campaign called “Don’t ular holidays of the year. Children TDrink and Drown” after the death look forward to all the candy, the of York St John Student, Megan dressing up, the scary stories and Roberts. all the fun and games. Even their The 20-year-old student was parents regain some of their child- separated from her friends and hood while participating in the fes- tragically fell into the River Ouse tivities. Also, with the emergence near York’s Lendal Bridge. Megan’s of “Halloween Parties” young sad death has prompted her moth- adults enjoy Halloween more than er Jackie Roberts to personally they did 20 years ago. For one work with the RLSS in numerous night, we all get to play dress-up projects as she says “I’m finding it without looking inappropriate. is so important for me that Meg’s On Warwick University’s cam- memory is kept alive” and “chan- pus, for example, you can hear nelling my energy into making Halloween’s plan being made and something positive seems right” to inform and educate people of Nominate a “designated driv- at beforehand e.g. if the route home exhaustive arguments about who Many consider excessive the dangers and would say to never er” - This individual should includes passing water, call a cab. should go as Scooby-doo and who amounts of alcohol an integral go into water when you have been be within their restrictions on should go as Shaggy (I assure you). component of university life, how- drinking and always take care and 2a night out. If someone within the The RLSS UK works tirelessly to The only difference would be the ever a single moment under the be aware if you are near water.” group is too indulgent they can promote drowning prevention,de- kind of “treats” that we consume: influence can result in tragedy. Drink responsibly otherwise limit the chances of an unfortunate livering water safety education as Mars bars and gummy bears being Alcohol, especially when con- you are putting yourself in serious situation. well as offering a range of awards replaced by tequila shots and Jä- sumed in immoderate amounts, danger as well as others. There are and programmes that teach life- gerbombs. And rather than walk- results in the altering of the chem- ways to avoid areas of water after a Know your own limits - Be- saving skills to all ages. ing through the streets looking istry within the brain. It is classi- night out and that is to have a pre- ing aware of how much your Remember, do not submit to for candy, we’re looking for that fied as a depressant meaning that planned strategy beforehand. body can withstand is essential. peer pressure, but only to your lost friend who had one too many it causes disruption in balance, 3Know what you are drinking that own limits and conscious because Vodka-cranberries. thoughts and actions. Drink with friends that can night in advance e.g. “two beers” so for many, losing a loved one as a The Acting Chief Executive of look after you - Being with peo- you are not tempted to stray over result of alcohol is a despairing re- the RLLS, said: “Drinking and/or ple that care about your safety on your cap. ality. taking drugs near or in water can 1a night out is imperative to having For more information on the Do you think that Halloween has lost be a dangerous and a deadly cock- a fun and safe night. If things go Plan the journey back home RLSS UK, visit their website at some of its charm? tail. Alcohol can seriously impede wrong, they are there to support - This involves familiarising www.rlss.org.uk, follow @RLSSUK, Tell us on Facebook your ability to survive in water. and help you. yourself with the surround- visit ww.facebook.com/RLSSUK or “At the RLSS UK we work hard 4ings of the place you are drinking call: 01789 773994 7 theboar.org Is freezing eggs really the answer? Generation Harriet Wilson comments on Apple and Facebook’s recent scheme for female employees Think niversity probably isn’t the are still perceived to be at odds. until you have achieved a certain understanding of what women re- time to be thinking about In 2005 the Equal Opportunities level of success before considering ally want. George Bainbridge having children, at least that Commission found around 30,000 a child. Personally, I find the idea In order to really tackle the is- Uwas the impression I received when women are forced out of their jobs ludicrous. Motherhood doesn’t sue though, we need to put to bed I discussed the topic with my flat- because of pregnancy discrimina- make you less ambitious or hard- some deep running assumptions. n the anti-Vietnam War pro- mates. Outside of our university tion. Many women, when asked by working. Asking women to put off Not just the idea that having a tests of the 1960s, student pro- bubble, however, having children a prospective employer, are forced having children in order to achieve family makes women less commit- test was a potent tool calling and how it affects a woman’s place to lie about their desire to start a success, especially when there are ted and dedicated; to imply that Ifor social justice with the ability in the work force continues to be a family for fear of being just a small number of top women are incapable of balancing to shape the world in a very real hot topic, with Apple and Facebook turned down for jobs, is wrong. the two is belittling. But also those way. Fast-forward to 2014, and recently announcing plans to pay the job. Instead employ- about whose responsibility it is to many politically engaged students for their female employees to freeze In this ers and policy care for children. Why it is still have found a new way of trying to their eggs. sense what makers should perceived as primarily women’s? make their voices heard. Yet whilst I applaud Apple and Apple and give more Society desperately needs to re- The student think tank move- Facebook for addressing the issue, Facebook support to consider how we still view paren- ment has sprung up around the I can’t help but feel their policy are do- their em- tal roles. country and internationally in the only scratches the surface of the ing is ployees. In her recent speech to the UN last five years. In a world where problem, or worse exacerbates it. w o r t h The de- Emma Watson stated that as a students are often characterised as Certainly the issue is one that cele- cision to society we value father’s roles as lazy and politically ignorant, this needs discussing. Less than a third brating. have chil- parents less than mother’s, despite movement provides an important of the most important jobs in T h e y dren late them being just as important. In counterpoint by enabling students Britain are held by women, with a r e in life is a order to help women in the work- to engage in a wide variety of is- female managers earning, on av- sending perfectly place we need to change this. Par- sues and even debate and discuss erage, around 35% less than their a clear valid one, enting is a shared role and both with experts in different fields. male counterparts. Whilst this is message but employ- parents should be able to take an It provides a more proactive clearly part of a wider problem of to their fe- ers should equal responsibility. Men who care form of student politics, adding to continuing gender inequality, it male employ- stand by those for their children should be cele- and broadening student political is impossible not to partially link ees that they who wish to have brated, and women eager to return engagement from the well-devel- women failing to obtain top jobs to support and value them earlier. Provid- to work after the birth of their oped reactive protest tradition. the continuing lack of support for their decision to have ing better childcare children should not be demonised. The movement aims to bridge working mothers. children. However in » Photo: rahego / Flickr options or more flex- As the adage goes, ‘a problem the gap between students’ new The general pattern seems my opinion it ignores ible working hours shared is a problem halved’ and ideas and new policies, encour- to be, despite women like Face- the root causes of the wider issue. would allow women to be present shared parenting, alongside great- aging them to develop their own book’s own Sheryl Sandberg and By encouraging women to have mothers whilst remaining a valua- er flexibility, is what is necessary responses to the way the world Yahoo’s Marissa Miller juggling children later it is implied that it is ble member of a company. Child- for women to achieve their poten- works in order to formulate a tru- high powered jobs and young fam- impossible to balance the two; that care is ludicrously expensive- on tial in the workplace. So thanks for ly student-led politics. ilies, when women have children you cannot rise through the ranks average around £8000 annually, acknowledging the problem, Ap- It does this through events such their value to their employers’ de- of a successful organisation and per child- so to see employers help ple; the solution, however, is a lot as talks from experts and debates creases. Motherhood and career have a family; that you must wait towards it would show a greater more complex. between specialists, where stu- dents are able to have their voices heard by key decision-makers. Not only this, but students are also giv- en the opportunity to have an in- put into the movement’s attempts to shape policy agendas through writing in the journals that they produce – for example Warwick Think Tank’s METIS journal, and Without cuts, the NHS is going to bleed out partnerships with ‘real-world’ think tanks such as IPPR, in the ippr@universities project. Angus Taylor argues that prudence is vital as the NHS reaches a rocky impasse Student think tanks equip stu- dents with valuable skills: current he NHS is not delivering ser- in 1945 was a radically different facts point to only one conclusion: need it most. There should be a affairs knowledge and awareness, vices to patients in time; em- proposition from the situation unless the electorate succumbs to comprehensive review which runs the ability to discuss new ideas, ployees striking over pay and now. New medical and pharma- higher taxes, quality and quantity a cost-benefit analysis of NHS ser- and the knowledge of how to do so Tworking conditions; waiting lists ceutical breakthroughs seem to of service will be compromised vices to find out which are essential with experts in the field, as well as are too long; mistakes are costing be hitting our shelves at a rate of and cuts to staff or the services wil and which are not. This will not be writing skills should they wish. the taxpayer £2.5bn due to shortag- knots. Treatments that were once be inevitable. popular, but the sums must add Founded in 2009, Warwick es of nurses and doctors and there physicians’ pipe-dreams have be- Cuttting valuable doctors and up. We should look to train more Think Tank was the first ever stu- is a £30bn funding black hole ex- come a reality. All great news but nurses appears unthinkable at a doctors and nurses and encourage dent-run think tank, and since pected by 2021. Doom mongering everything comes at a cost. Along- time when surgeries are jammed the best quality of services for the then many others have been about the NHS is no new phenom- side an aging population, we have and medical staff regularly work areas which are most pressing and founded across the country. Pre- enon but recent trends suggest the seen demand for treatment and its overtime to deal with demands of valuable. In other areas patients viously their ability to change the NHS is at a pivotal juncture and cost spiral ever higher at the NHS. the British public. Compromising should stump up a higher propor- policy agenda had been limited by something will have to give. Research shows that NHS funds on healthcare is an unthinkable tion of the costs or be forced to their isolation and relatively lit- When Clement Atlee set out his are expected to run into the red proposition. Healthcare should fund it themselves. tle-known status. plans for the National Health Ser- either this year or next. Unlike the always put quality over quantity At the end of the day, the aim of But a new group, Generation vice in 1945 I imagine he only had last time this occurred, in 2005- with regards to services provided. the NHS is to provide a universal Think, is now acting as a net- an inkling of the extent it would 2006, the problem will only wors- Which means that the range of ser- “basic” level of healthcare to every work between student think tanks, shape the UK. It has been a cor- en until we are left facing a £30bn vices provided for free by the NHS man, women and child in the bringing together the movement nerstone of post WWII Britain and shortage of funding by 2021. needs to be cut or savings must be United Kingdom. However, in the and acting as a focal point. Gen- a pioneering project for welfare The back drop to this widening made to services already provid- face of a widening budget deficit eration Think also helps existing states throughout the world. NHS budget deficit is that gov- ed. Maybe we should be charged we need to re-think the model es- think tanks with events, propos- In many situations we take for ernment offices have been slashed more for less essential services tablished in 1948 with the univer- als, sponsorship, and collaboration granted the access to universal free in other areas but a “protected” such as dentistry? Should volun- sal, wide provisions of services it while also providing resources and healthcare provided by the NHS. ring-fencing of the NHS budget tarily obese patients or those who provides needs to change. Our idea advice for those who want to set up Compare and contrast with Oba- has remained. It has been shielded consume too much alcohol have to of “ basic” must narrow, otherwise their own think tank. macare in the States, or the prob- from the savagery of government bear the cost of their actions? the situation in hospitals and GPs Formerly known as Campus lems of receiving adequate health- cuts due to its perceived impor- My answer to these questions will continue to deteriorate and Policy, the rebrand of the group care throughout the developing tance to the electorate. The NHS has to be yes. When we talk about strikes will become increasingly starts here, at Warwick, the birth- world. budget has been increasing 0.7% public healthcare there are no more common. place of the movement, and aims However, the widespread pro- above the rate of inflation over easy answers but the NHS should to reflect the new generation of vision of free healthcare outlined the last few years. Therefore the prioritise treatment to those who » Photo: DES Daughter / Flickr student politics. theboar.org 10 Editor: Rami Abusamra [email protected] Twitter @BoarFeatures FEATURES fb.com/groups/BoarFeatures Taking on poli-kicks Lauren Bond examines the debate for Catalan independence through the eyes of football t was January 2014: Liverpool tion for being unnecessarily hostile, of Barcelona, and on a wider-scale, was an important year – on 11 Sep- just a club, but so are Real Madrid. were back challenging for the ti- but with Suarez it was not unfound- the people of Catalonia, felt inferior tember, the troops of the King of Even though Franco died in tle, where many would say they ed, and in the Spanish media he to the rest of Spain. The Catalan Spain, Phillip V, defeated Catalan 1975, bringing Spain into a new era belongI - but as a disgruntled United may find his treatment to be even language was banned by Franco as troops. It marks the moment that of democracy, the politics behind fan, I preferred not to think so - and worse. he attempted to increase Spanish Catalonia began to lose its sepa- El Clasico have not, and will not, Luis Suarez was tearing the league I am writing this before the nationalism, claiming, “If you are rate identity from Spain, and it go away. Catalan people still call apart (or eating it up, if you prefer game, but on Saturday, Suarez will Spanish, speak in Spanish.” Catalan is only by looking at the for independence, with bite-related puns.) I was sat in a most probably have made his re- names such as Jordi were banned, struggle of the Catalan a vote scheduled for Starbucks in Liverpool with some turn to football, and his debut for and a Catalan, Joan Manuel Serrat, people that you can this November af- friends when a figure walked in – Barcelona, in a game which is per- was not allowed to represent Spain begin to realise ter the euphoria he was hooded and appeared keen haps the most politically charged of in Eurovision for simply refusing to the importance that surrounded to hide his face, but it was hard not all time. It is also a game on which sign his song in Spanish instead of of their club, the referendum to notice who he was straight away: all the eyes of the world will focus, Catalan. FC Barcelona, on Scottish in- Luis Suarez has a pretty distinctive with an estimated viewership of In an era of dictators, Franco’s ap- which to them dependence face. 400 million – El Clasico. proach was not so different to eve- is “més qué un in September. One of my friends is a big Liver- To some, football is seen as a rything else going on around Eu- club” – more Nonetheless, it pool fan so she was keen to have a trivial thing: a sport enjoyed only rope – it was as though he wanted than a club. was out ruled photo with him, to which he sur- by troublesome working-class men, to cleanse Spain of other cultures. Barcelona fans by the Spanish prisingly obliged. In person, Suarez out for a day of drink and disor- see Real Madrid government for seemed shy and anxious to hide derly behaviour. That’s not the case, as the antithesis of being ‘unconstitu- himself away from the baying pub- and football can play an important “Football can play an important all this, the team of tional’, showing how lic who have so much to say about role in the history and politics of a role in the history and politics of the government, the team Spain still has a long way to him, but he was also friendly when country, for which you need look a country... look no further than who won six European cups dur- go. approached, perhaps in his attempt no further than in Spain. During Spain.” ing Franco’s reign making them Spain has proven that it can work to be accepted, to be liked by the the reign of the Spanish dictator the darlings of Spanish football, to together – the historic treble of the English public who were often so Francisco Franco from 1939 to 1975, which the rest of the world would two Euro’s and the World Cup, with happy to dislike him. the battle between Real Madrid and look to make their own ideas about a team full of Catalans, is testament Suarez isn’t innocent, though. He FC Barcelona was a constant pres- Catalan people are not ones to give Spanish identity. El Clasico has to that, particularly after the nasti- isn’t a footballer who was disliked ence. It wasn’t just about two teams up their fight, though, and despite always been a politically fuelled ness of the 2011 Clasicos, but in its by anyone other than Liverpool battling out it for silverware, it was attempts from Franco and his peo- match, from the 11-1 win to Real current state all is not well in Spain. fans just for his extreme talent and about two Spanish cities, and their ple to embrace the successes of FC Madrid in 1943, which was so high- Hit by a financial crisis, the people ability to win games, but rather for people, who felt worlds apart from Barcelona, it was never enough. ly influenced by the constant whis- of Catalonia finally want their free- the footballing persona and the in- each other. There is a question posed to many tling from the Madrid fans, to the dom from Spain, but the impact cidents that have so often blighted There is an idea in football, Catalans, and it seems that the an- infamous pig’s head game in 2000, this could have on Spanish football his career – the biting, the diving, one that was ever dominant dur- swer may be yes – did the people of after Luis Figo switched clubs from would be huge. the racism allegations for which he ing Franco’s reign, that Real Ma- Catalonia use FC Barcelona as their Barcelona to Madrid. Then you In a bid to prevent the people of was charged but still denies. drid were “Franco’s team.” With a way to fight against Franco? The have the present day, with the ‘El Catalonia fighting for independ- There are reasons for the public stadium named after a president backbone to their political ideol- Clasico World Series’ in 2011 with ence, the president of the Spanish to dislike him, but Suarez never who fought alongside Franco in ogy? four Clasicos in 18 days, epitomised FA, Javier Tebas, has declared that seemed to understand, lamenting the Spanish Civil War, it is hard During every FC Barcelona by the battle between Guardiola Barcelona and Espanyol would be how “too many people in England not to see why, particularly from game in the Camp Nou, the Barce- and Mourinho. kicked out of La Liga if Catalonia laughed about (his) attitude.” The the perspective of Barcelona fans. lona fans cry for independencia as However, it isn’t all true what was to gain independence. It may English media may have a reputa- Throughout their history, the fans soon as the game reaches 17:14. 1714 they say about ‘Franco’s team.’ Real be an empty threat, but if it were Madrid may be based in the city of to happen, football would lose its the government, and yes, Franco most important rivalry. was a fan of theirs, but they faced El Clasico is bitter and nasty; it’s their hardships too. From 1935 a fight which often gets out of hand, to 1936, during the Spanish Civil a game usually full of fouls and red War, Real Madrid had a president cards, of arguments between the named Sanchez Guerra, a Repub- players and the fans. But it is also a lican who founded the Republican fight between two of the best teams Liberal Right, defining himself as in the world, two teams who pos- “centrist: equidistant from the ex- sess the greatest players in world tremists of left and right.” In the football – Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, summer of 1939, he was captured James, Iniesta, Bale, Benzema, and and handed life imprisonment by now Luis Suarez, that most fasci- Franco’s troops. nating of players, has opened up a Real Madrid may have had a new chapter in this most brilliant of president in Santiago Bernabeu fixtures. who fought alongside Franco, It would be a crime against foot- but they also had one who fought ball to lose El Clasico. against him. Politics is not black and white and neither is the rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Bar- celona. Barcelona fans were made to feel castigated and isolated from Feel passionate about Spanish history, but Real Madrid the game and politics Saturday gave us? are not the embodiment of Franco’s Tweet: @ ideals. BoarFeatures FC Barcelona may be more than » Photo: Kate_Lokteva & Dave Gough / Flickr Want to write for Features? Let us know! E-mail [email protected] to pitch your ideas 10 Features theboar.org 11 Protest through another medium Shirly Ahura explores Kanye West’s special form of protest

rom sit-ins and protest “New Slaves” goes that one step ilarly, American iconography is marches, to mass demonstra- further in revolutionising the way subverted in the now infamous mu- tions and social networking, we currently think about society. sic video for Bound 2. On the sur- protestsF have taken myriad forms What one ought to notice is that to face, it’s a romanticised all-Ameri- over the centuries. We’ve witnessed subvert the skinhead subculture of can visual of Kanye and wife Kim protest in the most iconic sense of 1960’s Britain –its ideals of nation- Kardashian riding on a motorbike the word; whether on the streets alism, racism and white superiority through various sublime settings. of Tunisia during the 2010 Arab in toe- with the one oxymoronic Showcasing the iconic American Spring, or in the Parisian suburbs phrase ‘Black Skinhead’, is to bring Old West, it simulates the Lone in 2006 at the hands of the frus- to light the deep-seated xenophobia Ranger character with a modern trated French youth, or even at our in the UKIP-clad Britain of today. twist. Venture deeper however, and very own doorstep; the 2011 riots To rap “Used to only be n*****s, one will find that Kanye turns this sparked by the shooting of Mark now everybody playing/Spending enduring icon of American culture Duggan for example, pitting civil- everything on Alexander Wang”, on its head- not only depicting a ians against the police and setting is to highlight that in the century- Lone Ranger that is black, but in an London ablaze in the process. long changeover from the manacles inter-racial relationship. But the spirit of protest is chang- of slavery to the chains of capital- ing. One unlikely candidate who ism, nothing has really changed. Fashion-conscious frustration incarnates this new form of pro- If protest is an objection against test? American rapper-turned-en- a situation considered unjust, then trepreneur-turned-self-proclaimed “Why shouldn’t Brand Yeezy this embodies Kanye’s approach nihilist, Kanye Omari West. to fashion. As of 2009, Kanye has Racism, classism, and capital- benefit from the same haute made several ventures into the land ism: three extremely controversial couture status [as] Versace?” of couture that have launched him » Protest for Palestine in Manchester photo: Jonathon Potts / Flickr aspects of our society which would into the fashion spotlight. This is incite protest in any a social con- not to say however, that the success wide a scale, “is impossible to hand line with our own. If this is the text are in fact the very actualities of Brand Yeezy has not come with- m a k e”. case, why do we shun controversial in which Kanye West grounds his Recently, Kanye received criti- out its fair share of obstacles. means of expression? The truth is, basis for protest. cism for adopting the Confederate Part of the problem stems from Protest or Pomp? as a society, we treat controversy flag on a number of items from his being a black man in a predomi- It is no secret that Kanye’s antics like we would a sleeping child: tip- Culture Jamming Yeezus tour merchandise. This flag, nantly white field. As a black rap- find themselves wading knee-deep toeing around it in order to avoid Culture jamming, though he formerly seen as a proud emblem of per seen to be ‘crossing over’ into in bravado, braggadocio and pub- facing its existence. Does this may not know it himself, is Kanye Southern heritage, but now invaria- the formidable fashion world, both licity stunt. So how far are Kanye’s therefore prove Kanye’s point about West’s primary medium for protest. bly considered a shameful remind- he and his creativity are categori- methods protest, as they are pre- the new slaves of society? “We are Defined as an attempt to transform, er of slavery and segregation in the cally marginalised into an “urban” tension? How far is it about popular all mentally enslaved. We are born disrupt or subvert mass media cul- Southern States- attracts controver- category. This begs the question: opinion as it is pompous rambling? free but then we are held down ture, with the intention of exposing sy for all the right reasons. On the Why the automatic pigeonholing A raving megalomaniac, a self- by society’s perception of us.” It is apparently questionable other hand however, it is culture into a classification that remains indulgent egotist: this is the picture our prudishness and furtive need social and political jamming exemplified: Kanye takes both subsidiary and steeped in many have of Kanye West today, to belong that makes us post onto assumptions, cul- the defunct Confederate flag stereotype? Why shouldn’t Brand and to some extent, rightly so. It is Facebook news feeds and Twitter ture jamming in and instead makes it his flag, Yeezy benefit from the same haute getting harder and harder to enter timelines ‘Watch Kanye snap in this the terms of the deliberately skewing all no- couture status that major labels ‘Kanye’ into a search engine with- interview!’ as opposed to ‘Watch proverbial lay- tions of racial prejudice Versace and Yves Saint Laurent out being accosted by multitudi- Kanye highlight the scourges of our man is any reac- that come along with it. have enjoyed? nous ‘rant’ interviews, paparazzi society.’ In this way, we are merely tion against so- What is more, donning Kanye’s response is simple: use altercations and other forms of suppressing the art of protest itself: cial conformity the Confederate flag in one’s social standing to influence public meltdown. His behaviour “We just don’t want to be embar- used to criticize this way can be viewed the majority. Denouncing leading in the public eye- the latest exam- rassed...and I took the opportunity or negate the sta- as an act of flag dese- fashion house Louis Vuitton after ple being his stopping a concert in to look as stupid as possible.” tus quo. cration, a further having been snubbed by executives, Australia in an attempt to get two Kanye West is not your run-of- If music is the defiant ex- he publicly discouraged the masses handicapped fans to ‘stand up and the-mill rapper. Socially conscious, opium of the mass- pression of from continuing to purchase their dance’- is often so outrageous, so an advocate of individualism and a es, then Kanye’s re- protest. products, in true boycott-esque outlandish, that it makes it increas- poster boy for progressive change, lease of records Sim- style. ingly difficult for anyone to sup- he could very well be today’s such as “Black The fashion industry still har- port him and still seem credible, or postmodernist; the modern-day Skinhead” bours issues of classism. Everyday sane. Here lies a high dose of irony: Christopher Columbus at whom a n d people coming from ordinary doesn’t culture jamming merely re- the world will look back in years backgrounds do not have the iterate the ubiquity of the very idea to come, bashful that they’d be- luxury of wearing high fash- you are trying to suppress? Doesn’t lieved the Earth was flat. Granted, ion brands, despite the fact ingratiating yourself with fashion whilst not as explosive as the “Un- that they confront us eve- corporations just vindicate them? known Protestor” of the Tianan- rywhere we go. Nowadays Effectively, it is in this feat that men Square protests of 1989, or as however, fashion creatives Kanye fails. Once quoted to have shocking as the self-immolation of seem to want to connect said that nothing matters to him Buddhist monks in 1963 South Vi- with the majority. “But but “the people and how I can af- etnam, music remains the most far- the cost of silk is too ex- fect them”, his means of protest fall reaching and undisputable cham- pensive,” Kanye argues. short of ever even reaching them. pion of change. Protest through In other words, the Thus, he alienates himself with his another medium means that whilst fashion realm will own controversial means of expres- Kanye’s ideas are nothing particu- not lower its qual- sion. larly new, his expression is. ity levels for the But does that make his views good of the controversial? Got a different opinion wider society. The answer: no. Kanye’s stance about Kanye? Accessibil- on race, class and wealth in the ity, on that world is no novelty, nor is it that Email us an article ! much more far-fetched or out of [email protected] » Kanye West being Kanye West Photo: Daniele Dalledonne Want to write for Features? Let us know! E-mail [email protected] to pitch your ideas theboar.org 13 12 Editor: Mark Barac [email protected] Twitter @BoarMoney MONEY fb.com/groups/BoarMoney Fifteen War- wick students selected as part of Lloyds bank- ing scheme his year Lloyds Banking Group has selected fifteen Warwick students for their Tprestigious Lloyds Scholars pro- gramme. The scheme was launched as part of Lloyd’s Help Britain Prosper plan, which supports so- cial mobility, small businesses and first-time housing buyers in the UK. Currently 45 Warwick stu- dents take part in the programme, What drives the world economy? and Lloyds has committed to help- ing a total of 720 students, across eight universities, by 2017. Lloyds Aakanksha Jaiswal interviews Gerard Lyons on global economics has invested £17m into this scheme. » Global economic powerhouses across the world set to expand, with the global economic “cake” set to grow as a result Photo: Trey Ratcliff / Flickr The scheme is a prime example of how a major UK firm is investing in n Monday 20th October, people were very upbeat and pos- happening on the ground. And it’s Europe, India or China, it’s trying corporate social responsibility and Gerard Lyons, Chief Eco- itive, and some of the same smart just trying to put all those different to get the interaction between the shows Lloyd’s strong commitment nomic Advisor to the Mayor people are now very pessimistic. pieces together. global, regional and domestic fac- to becoming more socially respon- Oof London, visited the University And while I am cautious about the AJ: You are obviously a big ad- tors and see how they interplay and sible. It can also be seen as a bid of Warwick to speak about his new near term outlook of the economy, vocate, as you said, of the interde- impact one each other. to improve their image since their book: The Consolations of Econom- the book was aimed at sort of ex- pendence between the east and west. AJ: Last question, if you had one government bailout. ics. The event was the inaugural plaining what I think are the key So, do you want to tell us a bit more piece of advice for University stu- The main aim of the scheme event of PPE Society’s Speaker Se- global drivers and why, despite the about that? dents, in general, what would that is to give new opportunities to ries. The Boar presents to you ex- near term uncertainty, we shouldn’t GL: Well, it’s an interesting ques- be? gifted students from lower income cerpts from an exclusive interview be too pessimistic and in fact, in tion; because before the financial GL: Enjoy the experience. I think households. The students selected with Gerard Lyons. my view relatively optimistic about crisis, back in 2007-2008, one of the Warwick University is a fabulous to become Lloyds Scholars receive what lies ahead. big issues was ‘are the economies in University, people and students financial aid and places on paid AJ: How does it feel to be back at AJ: My next question leads on the east and the west coupled- are here are very privileged at War- internships. They are also allocated Warwick, after speaking at the War- from what you’ve already said. Crit- they interdependent?’ wick. It’s not a University for priv- business mentors to help them gain wick Economics Summit in Febru- ics have said that the book is overly And different people had differ- ileged people, but it is a privilege to employable skills. In return, the ary? optimistic… ent views at that time. My view was be at the University. students are obliged to perform at GL: Yeah, it’s awesome. I was a GL: To answer your question, that they were coupled, but that the So the message would be to re- least 100 hours of voluntary work student here many years ago but it’s positive about what lies ahead. eastern economies or the rest of the ally embrace as much as you can for each year they are at university. retained a relatively close relation- I think there’s sometimes a tenden- world, outside the West were more about Warwick, and feel that you’ve Lloyds is very proud of the scheme; ship with Warwick in the sense that cy in economics to not differentiate resilient, in terms of being able to left having done as much as you Richard Cooper, their Head of I was on the council for six years. between relative and absolute. In cope with shocks. And it always wanted to do. Education and Employability, Then after six years you’re sent out relative terms, Britain and the West seemed strange then, to think that But beyond that, I think peo- said: “We are so excited to wel- of the council, so in a sense I’ve re- will not do as well as in the past, but economies that were selling their ple should embrace change, think come this year’s new Scholars to joined, or joined the advisory board in absolute terms, it will do better. goods to consumers in America global, and play to your strengths. our programme. We look forward of the business school. I joined that To put it another way, the global were not in some way, shape or There’s always a tendency to to nurturing their talents through- early this year. economic cake, in my view, will get form impacted by what was likely think you must go off and get a safe out their degrees and helping them AJ: If you could sum up the mes- bigger, the slice of cake that comes to happen in those economies. So job somewhere. But I think there’s a to develop both academically and sage you wished to convey with your to us in the West will be smaller, but they were interconnected, but more lot of opportunity out there, glob- professionally.” book in one sentence, what would I think there will be a lot more cake. resilient. ally. Lloyds Scholars have no obliga- you say? Now they are sort of more de- Think positively about how you tion to join the firm; however 68% GL: Well, The Consolations of pendent on domestic demand, but can position yourself. of students who graduate from the Economics is aimed at both the The key message is to think they are still very interlinked with The key message really is, com- scheme gain a place on Lloyd’s economist and the non-economist of yourself as a brand, as the rest of the world. ing back to your question, think of competitive graduate scheme. and explains the drivers of the globally, brands do well. We are impacted by global fac- yourself as a brand, and globally, Hence it can be seen that the men- world economy, which are both tors, whether they are economic brands do well. toring given on the scheme is effec- economic and non-economic fac- or non-economic. In terms of the The brands that do well glob- tive at producing employable grad- tors and points to what’s going to AJ: You are a widely respected last few weeks, Ebola shows that in ally are the ones that play to their uates. Overall the Lloyd’s Scholars lie ahead. economic forecaster, so my next a globalized economy, things can strengths, position themselves programme has been a success in For students here at Warwick, question is, what would you say are spread very quickly. Even if they and also invest in themselves as a opening up access to professional I think the idea is to try and look the key skills or qualities that one don’t spread, we are aware of the brand. Don’t try and do everything. graduate roles as well as improving at the world from 36,000ft not five should develop? potential for them to spread and Good brands don’t try and match social mobility. or six feet; so like being on a plane GL: I think I’m going to answer have to take effective mechanisms. everything. They don’t lower them- on the window seat and if you’re your question indirectly. If one In some respects it’s the same in selves to the common denomina- Oscar Wingrove coming in to land- you look out the looks at an economy, I think the economics: good news travels. The tor. They go to where they think window, and even if you know the outcome depends on the inter- old phrase used to be ‘When Amer- they can have maximum impact. city, you often see it from a very dif- action between economic funda- ica sneezes, the rest of the world Different people develop at dif- ferent perspective. mentals, policy and confidence. So catches a cold.’. Maybe in the future ferent times and good brands are Before the financial crisis, I was from a forecasting perspective, I we’ll say when Africa and India resilient to knock downs. Too many very pessimistic, I thought a crisis think one needs to try and under- smile, we’ll also benefit, or do well people keep trying to knock you was inevitable; a month before the stand and anticipate each of those, out of that. back and too many people might crisis I thought we would have a and it’s not always easy to do so. So I think there’s a lot of intercon- try to put you down. So, believe in deep imminent recession. So sometimes you have a gut nection now. What it means is that the brand. At that time the consensus was feeling about an economy, also you globally, things are interconnected. very positive. I think there’s a ten- need to have an understanding of It doesn’t mean that everything that What do you think dency in economics towards what I how the economy is performing. happens globally impacts everyone of Gerard Lyons’ new call the status quo- the status quo And it’s trying to get the balance in the same way. In terms if look- book? » Photo: Elliot Brown / Flickr bias. right between what the numbers ing at different economies, whether Tweet: @BoarMoney So before the crisis a lot of smart are saying and what you feel is it’s Britain, America, Continental 14 Editor: Bethan McGraththeboar.org 13 [email protected] Twitter @BoarLifestyle LIFESTYLE fb.com/groups/BoarLifestyle Tackling the student stereotype One girl, Alice Turnbull debates whether or not the labels put on our eating habits are deserved five guys

icture this: you’re in your room trying on clothes for an event you’re going to the next day, when a boy walks Pin without knocking, takes some he classic pot noodle and can safely say that on the whole, are popping up all over the coun- blogs are all great places to start mini eggs from your desk, farts, baked beans-consuming the sample of students that I have try. Initiatives supporting locally your quest for a good quality life- and then leaves. student stereotype has met along my way have become in- sourced produce and environmen- style. It is also worth checking out A shocking lack of decorum you been fed through modern creasingly aware of their impact on tally friendly yet affordable fruit your local independent shops and might think, but not so in a house Tsociety for generations. Each year, the environment, and the impact and veg are trending in student un- stores that support the local econo- of five boys. food companies pay homage to that the food so often marketed ions up and down the UK. Granted, my rather than your average super- While an article in the last edi- universities promoting their cheap, towards the student population is translating an eagerness to eat good market. You’ll soon find out that it’s tion of the Boar outlined what it’s tasty meal deals fuelling the popu- having on their bodies. quality food into practice is easier far from a financial burden, as well like to live with four girls, I thought lar belief that students have no time Now many of you may be think- said than done, and of course none as a really cool way to get to know it only necessary to explain what it to cook, and eat badly. And to a ing that the majority of students of us are perfect (after a long day at the area as a student. is like the other way around. great extent, we have all been that you chat to do indeed exist on a university, Maccy D’s around the Personally, I believe that every- Let me tell you something: boys stereotypical student. I for one un- diet of baked beans and toast this corner will do just fine). But it is one - regardless of their financial have hair too, and it’s not just girls ashamedly lived off Dominoes for is not necessarily a true reflection the long term impact that we, as a background - deserves high qual- who shed. In my house it’s not in- the entirety of my first year as an of the percentage of students who student body, should be concerned ity, affordable food that is environ- frequent to pull something alarm- undergraduate thanks to the peo- have a healthy diet. In an age when about, and that’s what the student mentally friendly. The food rev- ingly resembling a slimy rat out of ple donned in blue jackets handing one of the biggest concerns of pub- food revolution has started to ac- olution we are experiencing is an the shower drain. That problem is out discount Buy One Get One Free lic health is childhood obesity and knowledge. embodiment of this ethos, and I for certainly not limited to gender dis- vouchers in week one. I simply had binge drinking, let alone the ‘meat So for those of you who are, like one hope that it continues to grow. I tinctions. no time to even consider a ‘proper scandal’ in the European food sys- me, keen to get involved in this hope that as a student body we can I also remember asking one of meal’ when I had so much socialis- tem, even first years seem to be changing ‘food revolution’ there are learn to appreciate the local com- the boys to take a bin out and put ing *ahem* ‘work’ to do. more conscious of the slogan ‘you many way to do so. As soon as I ar- munity and realise that our actions a new bag in, to which the almost However, whilst we can have a are what you eat’. rived at Warwick University a few now can make a difference in the immediate response was: “how?” laugh here and there about the ‘typ- There is a food revolution go- weeks ago, I was immediately aware future. The classic student stereo- How?! I need not outline my aston- ical student’ lifestyle, can we really ing on in the hub of student life, of the great societies you can join type will always stay with us - who ishment with this display of total say that, post-first year and taking and I happily want to be a part of which will most certainly support wants to really stop eating baked life-skill ignorance. into account the occasional take- it. This revolution is happening you in achieving a healthy, afforda- beans when they are so delicious? The boys also like to indulge in out, the average student lifestyle is nationwide. Despite the increase ble lifestyle that is environmentally But our attitudes towards what we a game called ‘bin tetris’. The rules that unhealthy? Three years later in university fees and financial friendly too. People&Planet and eat can most definitely change, and are quite simple: attempt to stack and moving into my post-gradu- pressure on students and their life- the Food Cooperative, accompa- the potential to produce good food the rubbish higher and higher on ate studies at a new university, I styles, student-run farmer markets nied with the ‘sustainable student’ is in our hands. top of the bin without actually tak- ing the bin bag out. The loser is the person who eventually gives in and actually takes the bin outside. While it’s common thing to have Facebook: the social not-work watched a few episodes of the Simp- sons growing up, I did not realise it Hannah Froggatt reflects on whether it’s in in our interest to part with our profiles was so common to have watched every episode several times over to hen you looked at the you’re on Facebook, it’s easy to tor- able statuses or working out their For me, graduation is now loom- the extent that you can make a rel- title of this piece, you ture yourself with other people’s emotional issues through drunken ing and I’ve been toying with the evant quote in every real-life situa- may have noticed an photographs of parties you weren’t posts. question for a while now: should I tion, even when it’s totally inappro- inherent paradox - a invited to, and fun you didn’t have. That is all before you get into delete my Facebook after uni? The priate. In a way, it is impressive, but Wlife without Facebook is not a prop- “Thou Shalt Not Lurk on The Pages issues of privacy. There’s a knot of obvious question is “How will I I can’t help feeling there are better er life at all, you might be thinking. Of Thy Enemies” is a much bigger unease in my stomach that grows contact people?” to which the ob- ways they could have spent their But until I came to university I had problem for me personally, once I every time I think about the vious answers are “Phone, Twit- childhoods. never used Facebook, even though realised that literally everyone I growing demographic pro- ter, Tumblr, Skype, or meeting up Needless to say, there are a few it hit its popularity peak in the mid- know is on Facebook posting file Zuckerberg has of me every once in a while” Because, mothers out there who I would like dle of my secondary school years. I stupid embarrassing stuff to be sold to advertisers really, there are a million better to have stern words with, mainly to had some good reasons for staying 24/7. Yes, I was definitely and Korean gangsters. methods for keeping in touch than question why they have never made away, as well as a few stupid adoles- mentally healthier with- Where once it was very Facebook. The website burrows un- their sons put their own rubbish in cent ones, and I would like to give out it. much accepted that peo- comfortably deep into the fabric of the bin, take a bin bag out, or clean you a tour down my personal rabbit I haven’t even ple who spent all of actual social relationships, so that a bathroom. Hell, you could even hole into a life without FB. mentioned the most their time on people are no longer able to draw have taught your sons that opening Firstly, I don’t suffer from spasms common complaint Face- book must the line between being ‘Friends’ a window stops their room from of self-hate when I look back at my about Facebook; have no with someone, and actually being smelling like a thousand foetid thirteen-year-old self’s old posts. it’s an inescapable social life, their friend. bodies, and that if you screw a tea I don’t even have spasms of self- time-sucking black at some point My inner rebel is screaming that towel up and shove it on the side, it hate when I see yesterday’s posts, hole of procrasti- we underwent we’ve sold our social lives to a cor- doesn’t dry. because I wrote them when I was nation. Facebook a cultural shift. poration, but that’s also the big an- But aside from all of my older and my head wasn’t quite as becomes the most Now it seems noying un-problem of Facebook. less-than-charitable ranting, living far up my own backside as it once attractive for me in to be the other It’s ubiquity and utility mean that it with boys does have its up side. On was. Sorry, 15-year-olds, but the so- the weeks leading up way. The biggest remains unparalleled as a social or- nights the drunken soap operas cial incompetence of teenagers are to a big deadline or rub of going with- ganisation tool, and though it pains that often occurred in first year myriad and severe, and I’m glad I important exam, with out Facebook me to say so, no one has come up have significantly decreased, and left school with less to regret, and predictable consequenc-» Photo: Pixabay / PublicDo- is not getting with a more efficient way to herd there’s little to no back-stabbing less digital evidence of my imma- es. And the trouble with mainPictures, DirtyCityClean- invited to stuff. us sheep than those guys. And that bitchiness. So I guess they’re not turity. spending too much time Food Most people will be the most difficult thing to quite as bad as I make out. Facebook also introduced a on Facebook is how over-informed rely entirely on the events function lose. whole set of social vices that didn’t you become about the social lives to do basically everything, and I So will I delete Facebook after I Samantha Hopps even exist before its inception. of all your Facebook friends. You can’t shake the feeling I would have finish university? I haven’t decided “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neigh- lose so much respect for people gone to a lot more parties in sixth yet. Talk to me in a year, preferably bours’ Social Life” for one. Once baiting you with vague but miser- form if I’d given in a little sooner. through a tweet. 15 theboar.org/Lifestyle | @BoarLifestyle | LIFESTYLEtheboar.org 14 The bad old days e all remember high school. From tiny ‘Just Do It’ bags that could barely house Wyour books, to being heavy-hand- ed with your eyeliner to achieve the ‘perfect liquid line’, there was always some fad that had to be fol- lowed, on pain of social death. But heaven help you if you decided to rock up to school in a grey Just Do It bag. Pink or black was fine, but grey? Forget it. You are done. I can rant all I like, but the fact of the matter is, in high school, there is serious pressure on young peo- ple to conform, to follow the crowd like everybody else. Often, people who feel brave enough to express themselves through how they dress, Has social media ruined fashion week? speak or style themselves, become the subject of gossip, the butt of With Kardashians now sitting on the front row, the faces of fashion week are changing their classmates’ jokes. However, there is a light at the » Photo: Flickr / Mainstream end of the tunnel! I certainly found s the avid fashion show media, along with styles moving need to read a high-end lifestyle The prevalence of fashion is un- that once you get to university, all enthusiast will notice, this from the catwalk to the high-street magazine to hear about Fashion stoppable. In any form it will be of that goes away - it’s like a whole season’s Fashion Week with less modifications each year, it Week. Widespread publicity online publicised, and the introduction of different world. Gone is the hierar- has seen a shift in the feels like Fashion Week has opened has allowed the event to be more social media into the industry has chy of cool kids, dictating the way Astyles seen on the catwalks; where its doors to the masses. accessible to the world. delivered a whole new platform to you had to look; at university, all models used to sport daring cuts Gone are the days where the front do so on a much bigger scale. The of those old social groups dissipate and sometimes bizarre pieces, more row was reserved for editors and the big players in the fashion world and everyone starts out on an equal and more we’re seeing outfits which fashion elite. Now bloggers and so- Will the fashion A-list real- may worry that the publicity is footing, and the effects of these the average fashion-lover can aspire cialites are able to brush knees with ly want to share those covet- causing the event to lose its es- changes are evident. to. In Paris, Alexander Wang as the the Anna Wintours of the world. ed front row seats for much teem, but this wave of interest is the Instead of seeing herds of people new Creative Director of Balen- Let’s not forget the stir caused by longer? source of inspiration for the new sporting the same bag, the same ciaga worked in an easy-going baby North West sat front row, on generation - no matter their foot- shoes (even the same haircut!), we “New Yorker” style to the line. On the lap of her reality-star mother ing. Regular-girls-turned-bloggers see a diverse range of personalities this side of the channel, Burberry at the Paris shows. The paparazzi are now the fashion elite, and their that can finally be revealed through showcased their take on the classic frenzy was on the front pages of It was inevitable, what with pop- words being able to reach thou- the freedom of personal expression. denim jacket, which can’t help but newspapers and magazines world- ular TV shows featuring the event. sands of their followers in seconds. It is said that the eyes are the win- seem like a pretty mundane choice wide, bringing publicity to the Channel 4’s hit structured-reality With trends for Spring more sub- dows to the soul, but realistically, - even a step backwards - compared event and to the fashion industry as show Made in Chelsea devoted an dued than past seasons, the looks the most you can really do with to their previous displays of sheep- a whole. I can only wonder where entire episode to Autumn/Winter more universal, the whole event your eyes is dress them up with a skin flying jackets. this is going for Fashion Week. Will 13 London Fashion Week, follow- less daunting, and even a high- bit of mascara. I think that a daring It wasn’t just the ready-to-wear the fashion A-list really want to ing members of the cast to vari- street store like Topshop having hairstyle or an outlandish outfit re- styles that made the event more share those coveted front row seats ous shows, and listening to their their own show in LFW, the demo- ally sends a message to the people relatable to the everyday girl. A big for much longer? I get the feeling comments on the pieces featured. graphic seems to have complete- around you; ‘This is who I am’. trend emerging this season was the that the high-brow pillars of the The episode came to a close with a ly changed, hailing a new era for Since coming to Warwick Uni- use of social media. The Topshop industry will be looking down on party celebrating the end of Fash- high-street girls among the hustle versity, I’ve found not only the Unique show was called the ‘most these new figures - who have little ion Week, highlighting the impor- and bustle of the prestigious Fash- confidence, but the freedom to de- socially accessible fashion show to background in high fashion - and tance of the event in London, and ion Week. velop my own style, and I’ve defi- date’, and featured a screen called will perhaps be disdainful of their so communicating the relevance of Sophie Shaw nitely taken some inspiration from the InstaMosaic, which displayed easy acceptance into the fashion this exciting week to the viewers. the people around me. Looking images taken from the event and world. After all, sitting front row is The organisers of the events were around Warwick campus is like uploaded to Instagram, eventually the climax of any fashionista’s life. clearly very happy for their shows What were your favourite online shopping, there’s so much to coming together to produce a ‘so- With more exposure, brought to be publicised by people who pictures of fashion week? choose from and it’s not hard to go cial catwalk’. With more and more about by models, bloggers and even have found their fame doing, well, Tweet us up to someone and say ‘hey, I love labels choosing to involve social the labels themselves, we no longer not very much of note. @BoarLifestyle that, where did you get it from?’ So why has the pressure sudden- ly abated? I think the media plays a huge role in placing pressure on Save vs Splurge young people to look a certain way. In the first few years of high school, we all go through huge changes and No7 M·A·C that leaves us feeling slightly un- certain about who we are. Then we No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation Select SPF 15 foundation read magazines that tell us we have to have this haircut or shop at that deal for a student budget, No7’s that inner panic when you see that ith a start- for although all your spots will be store, articles about how to become foundation proves you don’t spot, coming out of ing price hidden on the night, the next day popular, and how to make boys (or need to dent your savings to hiding, in at £21.50, you will be welcoming a few more. girls) like us. look good. It is easily accessible the mirror MAC is MAC guarantees spots, but if you Then suddenly, you go to uni- Iin Boots, and with the No7 promo- reflection. definitelyW something a just need that one night of beauty, versity and none of those things tional vouchers that Boots seem to On the student would need to this is definitely one to buy. matter. I think the main reason for give all year round, it is an obvious whole, think about before pur- that is that we are suddenly forced bargain. No7 is great chasing. However, with to grow up, and we realise that it’s The quality of the foundation is for a casual its price, comes the high Shajini Subhaskaran ok to be yourself and go against the adequate for its price, which on night out but, quality, that is, if you’re de- norm. I for one, am glad that the average, is £13. You won’t get that for those per- siring that red carpet look. idea that ‘conformity is cool’ has immaculate, silky glow after appli- fectionists out Along with that smooth not followed me to Warwick. cation and using concealer would there, this one skin look, there is a natural probably help to try and achieve isn’t for you. glow, enhancing the features, Sara Gregory that. It would also be best to take hiding even the darkest spot the concealer with you, to avoid on your face. But beware, » Photo: Flickr / NanshyOfficial theboar.org 30 Sponsored by: Deputy Editor: Cath Lyon 15 [email protected] Twitter @BoarArts ARTS fb.com/groups/BoarArts Arts Column An obiturary to LAMP

his is officially the first Boar arts column, which is very exciting. In many papers and publications, apart from scholarly ones, the most cen- Ttral aspect of artistic development - discus- Student theatre thriving at Warwick sion and debate, is ignored. With this col- umn I hope to re-address the balance, to give students (whether they study an art subject Arts graduates return to Art Centre’s Emerge festival. Sam Crawford reports or not) the opportunity to discuss what they love, and equally what they hate, about the » Warwick graduate theatre companies are amongst the most succesful in the country. Image: Warwick Arts Centre arts. Whether you can’t get over the preten- tiousness of theatre, or you love the most s I sat down to interview Matt about to change any time soon. Alongside laborative team. Setting them tasks each obscure physical forms, I want to hear from Burman and Laura Eliot, two Emerge, the Arts Centre will also be launch- week which will allow students to produce you! thirds of the team that man- ing their new How To… programme. This will creative writing based on a scientific issue, Part of the inspiration for the creation of age Warwick Art Centre’s pro- feature a series of workshops on topics such this will eventually lead to a series of work- this column has been the recent closure of gramme,A it occurred to me that they both as marketing, directing and theatre design, shops in which the writing will be tested and LAMP, Leamington’s most popular student looked remarkably relaxed for two people as well as talks from professional company eventually a performance in the Spring term. venue for the arts. Indeed it was set to be the who work an insane amount of hours in or- Forced Entertainment, who brought their Matt was also keen to stress that Emerge and venue for many events for the Leamington der to ensure that the Centre continues to latest show The Last Adventures to the Arts its workshops in particular have only been Underground Cinema Festival, yet at very provide some of the best theatre that you will Centre at the beginning of October. For re- made possible through a “True collaboration short notice, Warwick District Council have see anywhere. During the interview, Matt re- ally enthusiastic students there is the oppor- with IATL”, and the support of co-facilitators shut the venue down, after reported issues vealed that he had worked one hundred and tunity to take part in a whole day of activities Jonathan Heron (IATL), Dr Wallace Mac- over the lease. This was not the first time sixty hours over the past two weeks, whilst related to theatre with the session on Tuesday Dowell (of the Theatre and Performance that the venue had come under the threat Laura is regularly at her desk from nine 28th October. Starting at 9.30am is a work- Studies department) and Dr Rachel King of closure, after reports of noise disturbance o’clock in the morning until midnight. Clear- shop from Fellswoop Theatre on the subject (Course Leader for Drama and Theatre Edu- put LAMP’s existence in limbo for several ly being Head of Programme and Audiences, of politics and theatre, alongside a chance to cation). It is his hope that next year this col- months. Yet this final shut-down has meant or taking on the role of Programme Manager see the company’s own work in their show laboration with IATL will continue to evolve that many Warwick student events will have is not for the faint-hearted! Ablutions, an adaptation of Patrick deWitt’s and produce more workshops that look at the to relocate, and as a result will be less likely to novel to the Arts Centre on the night of the practice of theatre-making. continue, as well as losing the individuality of workshop. The day finishes with a perfor- I finished by asking Matt how students this fantastic independent space. mance from Fat Git Theatre of their show (i could get the most out of the festival, and his The arts, particularly any aspect of the Warwick University Theatre has never feel fine) written by Joe White at 8.45pm, and, advice simply was “to try and come and see arts which is seen to act independently of been so thriving or so affordable what’s more, you can purchase a day ticket to all of it” in order to get a feel for the “broad the norm, is always underthreat of closure. all these events for as little as £3. and deep flavour of the richness of the work Arts critics have been the main victims of Other performances include The Pearl, an coming out of Warwick”. So try and sample this purge in recent years, as newspapers adaptation of John Steinbeck from the com- as much as you can in the Arts Centre’s first with ever restricted budgets find them su- pany Dumbshow who, according to their festival which is created by past students for perfluous. Critics have hence found solace It seems to me that their efforts have re- website, are “committed to telling powerful current students. And given the fact that in online platforms and are no longer read by ally paid off as the theatre prepares to launch stories which explore the human condition watching seven of the shows will only cost those with a casual interest in theatre, dance, Emerge, a new drama festival that, in Matt’s with wit, charm and emotional impact.” The you £28, it seems to fair to say that Warwick comedy, but only those who regularly engage own words, “is about celebrating perfor- Boy who Kicked Pigs by Kill the Beast comedy University Theatre has never been so thriv- in criticism. mance at Warwick”. This certainly seems to quintet, who were founded in 2011, will be ing or so affordable. Yet everyone has an opinion on the Arts, be reflected in the fact that five out of the ten performed on Halloween night, and Barrel like a long-running West-End musical. Nei- companies involved feature current Warwick Organ, one of the newest Warwick graduate The Emerge Festival runs from the 28th ther, as is widely believed, is the arts for the students or those who have recently gradu- companies (winning four awards at last years’ to the 31st October. privileged few in the middle classes. Along ated. Indeed, the programme showcases the National Student Drama Festival) will be ex- with a growing popularity in the community ever-growing group of individuals that Matt ploring Nothing in a series of monologues on and amateur theatre sector, institutions such calls the “Warwick Mafia”, which is made up 29th October in the Helen Martin Studio. as the RSC are starting to understand what of the many, many students who have left the Fat Git, who are known for their innova- student drama has long supported. That university and gone on to have significant ca- tive approaches to the process of new writ- To keep up with all of the young people, despite their tighter budgets, reers in the arts world. ing, are also establishing the GAIA Project in Emerge events follow: @ are a bigger audience demographic. They are With festivals like this it does not look like association with IATL which will see them WarwickArts starting to take advantage of this by changing this level of graduate success in the Arts is employ current student writers to their col- their listings and lowering their prices. As the Emerge festival shows, we are at the crest of a resurgence in affordable, interesting theatre. Instead of opposing it, we should be What’s on: student theatre supporting it, so that everyone can feel the benefits of this cheaper, better theatre. This WUDS: God of Codpiece and Fresh- ShakeSoc: Merchant IATL - funded column will be the start of the discussion and Carnage blood: Souvenirs of Venice performances engagement with the arts for all students, 1st Nov 12th Nov - 15th Nov 27-29th Nov Week beginning 1st whichever level you might engage with it on. Hearbreak Theatre, Arts Centre Studio Avon Studio Dec Because lets face it, everyone has an opinion, Leamington. £5 £8.50 (£7 conc.) TBC TBC and when you can see a professional show for A friendly discus- One man’s trash is Classic tale of love See the week 9 issue less money than you would spend on a night sion between two another man’s treas- and prejudice. of The Boar Arts to out, there is no excuse for not expressing it. couples ends in ure. Check out this ShakesSoc presents find out more about Cath Lyon chaos. devised collaborative their production in these student IATL- piece - it’s a must-see! Week 9. funded projects. theboar.org 14 Editor: Cayo Sobral 16 Editor:[email protected] Ellie May [email protected] @BoarSciTech SCI & TECH fb.com/groups/BoarSciTechTwitter @BoarSciTech fb.com/groups/BoarSciTech A day in the unlife: Ghost hunters Paranormal investigator James Griffiths tells Chloe Wynne all about the tools of his trade he ancient Celts believed that Sam- swer. Some people are convinced they hear, down? JG: There are more experiments that need hain, the day we now call Halloween, things, such as: “John, go home.” As soon as Cameras: There’s been an increase with to be done. To turn round and say that there is a time when the barrier between they interpret that, it’s all they hear. people taking pictures of their sightings. isn’t anything out there, that’s wrong, espe- the spirit world and our own is at its Nine times out of ten, what you hear is Years ago you used to get a lot of orbs, but cially as a scientist. You have to always be Tweakest and the spirits of the dead can walk rubbish. On the other hand, you could go we don’t see them anymore as the quality of progressing and thinking; you could say no among the living. and get a recording where it does just sound cameras got better. People claim to see faces; now, but find a yes later. For those who might fancy a ghostbusting like someone is talking with you. for me, the mind makes it. Scientists that I’ve spoken to say it is an adventure this Halloween, the Boar caught interesting subject. There’s no quantitative up with James Griffiths, professional ghost proof, but there is something going on. We hunter, to learn more about this paranormal just can’t put our finger on it, and that’s the activity. problem. CW: Have you got any memorable stories Chloe Wynne: How did your business from all your experience? come about? JG: When I was a child, I had a fear of Bo- James Griffiths: Believe it or not we start- ris Karloff’s Frankenstein. Well, when I went ed doing investigations for the police at first. to investigate the barracks, I was asked to give They see death all the time and there is an a presentation. When doing the presentation, interest there in the afterlife. who walks in but the apparition of Karloff’s I was asked to investigate an army bar- Frankenstein? racks and it was strange because everyone Nothing was found from the investigation, was taking notes based on what I was saying. but later in the night people were recording As they were police, the good thing was that sound and Frankenstein walked in again and they could ask for more and more detail, and disappeared. My friend told me to fight it off clarify or dispel what was picked up. because the spirits feed on fear. Later on, we CW: That’s bizarre. If you were going on reviewed the footage and over my friend’s a ghost hunt, what would be the first thing quote, a voice was heard saying: “Yes, we love you’d want to know about the venue? it .” JG: Every single venue has a history. In CW: With Halloween coming, would you ghost hunts, the venue has to have that recommend any films as being particularly spooky feeling that opens your senses imme- accurate? diately. I believe using psychology, you could JG: The Conjuring’s story is quite accurate; be manipulated to see something. It’s not » Orbs in the Great Hall at Chillingham Castle, Northumberland. photo: Cayo Sobral some people have told me about similar ex- being done on purpose in the buildings, but periences they’ve had to the ones in the film. there can just be a certain atmosphere there. Digital thermometers: People use ther- K2s (Magnetic field detectors): The Earth The new horror film, Annabelle, also relates CW: Can you talk us through any equip- mometers, from the catering industry, as has a magnetic field; in ghost hunting, this is to when I went to a flat in Manchester where ment that you use for ghost hunting? communication devices with the spirit world. thought to be changed by spirits. These K2s a couple had an African statue they didn’t JG: Although new specialist equipment is You fire a laser beam on a spot where a pick up the changes, and you do see the dials like. They threw it down the chute, and the being developed, a lot of the original ghost ghost is thought to have appeared, and a sig- go off as a spirit enters the room. next day it appeared on their shelf again. hunting equipment is domestic. nal with a temperature reading feeds back. CW: From your experiences, what would Digital recorders: We use basic recorders, What we then ask is, are there any external you say to a scientist who is a stark non-be- Go to theboar.org/science-tech for the full by asking questions and waiting for an an- factors that could bring that temperature liever? interview! Are you a multivitamin victim? Can pills ever replace food? Stephen Williams explains the drawbacks of multivitamins ost students find the transition vitamins, which allow them to meet all their “health reasons” may not be the best long- all of this? The key thing is that you can’t just into university life stressful. For nutritional requirements without breaking term plan. replace food for a collection of vitamins in me, the biggest hurdle was not any vegan rules. Another point worth noting is that it is pill form; you need to meet the 2500/2000 the work nor was it getting my- However there is a catch – whole- perfectly possible to exceed your dai- kcal intake (for men and women respective- Mself out of bed every morning. Indeed, it was foods such as fruit and veg con- ly nutritional requirements and ly) and try to hit your five-a-day. If you do the fact that food wasn’t magically on the ta- tain a multitude of vital mi- this can, in many cases, be decide that multivitamins should be part of ble waiting for me whenever I get home, after cronutrients and therefore detrimental to your health. your daily ritual, then try to fit them around a long day of lectures. are able to cover you over ‘Yummi Bears’ are a a balanced diet and stick to the dosage guide- As to avoid eventual starvation, I came up a much wider range of prime example of this, lines on the label. As mentioned earlier, there with a one-word quick-fix solution – multivi- dietary requirements. as they contain 216 per- are some circumstances where it can be im- tamins. These supplements claim to ‘plug the This means that if you cent of the vitamin A portant to include supplements to your diet, holes’ in a diet lacking essential nutrients and just take the time to requirement for an as in the example of vitamin D with vegans. vitamins, but what exactly are these little pills carefully plan out a eight-year-old child. For those of you still on the multivitamin doing to our bodies? balanced diet, then As a product aimed bandwagon, enjoy your daily dosage. Though Multivitamins are a collection of vita- you most likely won’t specifically for the perhaps you could go buy yourself a decent mins, minerals and amino acids which are need to take a multivi- use of children, this cookbook and try preparing a few meals designed for individuals that, for one reason tamin at all. vitamin A excess has from scratch - just like you would have had or another, need extra help in meeting their Actual food also con- resulted in the develop- at home! daily nutritional requirements. For exam- tains calories, which in ment of weaker bones and ple, vitamin D is a vital nutrient which plays many ways has become a liver abnormalities in some. a role in the body’s uptake of calcium. This ‘dirty word’ nowadays. The This problem is also true of Will multivitamins ever can cause complications for those who, for fact is that without an intake of supplements for adults; so taking replace real food? example, follow a vegan diet, as calcium is calories, your body cannot four or more multivitamins a Tweet: @BoarSciTech generally found in dairy and oily fishes. In produce the energy it needs » photo: flickr/colindunn day should be a no-go as far as this case, as to avoid calcium deficiency, it to function throughout the your diet is concerned. makes sense that many vegans turn to multi- day. So replacing food with multivitamins for So, what practical advice can we take from 8BLACK HISTORY MONTH: theboar.org the report

“A mix of academic insight, heart-breaking statistics and personal experience” Phoebe Demeger

ctober has seen War- wick’s Black History Month 2014, which seeks to remember the strug- Ogles of our past, acknowledge the inequalities of our present, and look to our future to address how things may be changed. I myself was present at two key events: a panel discussion on the worrying prevalence of police vi- olence committed against young black men; and an interactive pres- entation on queer people of colour and the struggles they encounter at the intersection between race and sexuality. The three panellists of the for- mer spoke eloquently about a con- cern very much in the public eye, as American communities still feel the aftershock of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson. However, the criminalisation of people of colour was shown to be by no means exclusive to the States: stories were shared by attendees of the inordinate amount of ‘stop and searches’ had been conducted upon them by the police, demonstrat- ing that to merely exist in a public space as a young person of colour, even in the 21st century, is some- how an affront to society. The latter event, meanwhile, opened my eyes like never before to the veritable minefield, in both everyday interactions and insti- tutionalised society, that must be navigated by queer people of col- our. From the historical white- washing of the LGBT movement to the outright racism found on queer-friendly dating sites, the event brought to light the need for safe spaces in which these oppres- sions can be properly confronted, without hierarchizing one op- pressed group over another. Uncomfortable brilliance: a review of the Scottsboro Boys I was particularly struck at both events by the speakers, who train to Alabama. Presented in a clear to me that Ebb and Kander, such a unique and well-constructed through a mix of academic in- Jessica Agboola traditional minstrel style, there was in true theatrical style, aimed to show. sight, heart-breaking statistics a white interlocutor and nine black flip this musical and the accom- Though the minstrel tradition and personal experience brought aving never heard about boys who were beckoned to per- panying stereotypes on it’s head. has strong racist aspects to it, the many controversial subjects into a the Scottsboro Boys, I form and entertain him. A benevo- The play began lightheartedly, with play cleverly subverts the tradition- well-deserved spotlight. Moreover, was excited to watch the lent atmosphere equated to singing the audience uncertain as to where al motives of a minstrel show and dialogue was opened up with the musical. I gathered it was and jest on behalf of the black char- Ebb and Kander would take such uses it advantageously to convey a audience, most significantly invit- Habout racial injustice in the US but acters to entertain him, but as the very important message. ing us to consider the things that I wasn’t quite sure of the storyline, play progressed, the music stopped The show is not an easy watch, all and any of us can do to make as I had weirdly never heard about and the seriousness of the matter The show is definitely one worth but it is definitely one worth seeing our society a little more inhabitable it in black history. However, I soon emerged.The audience experienced seeing to be both informed of the injus- for its oft-marginalised members. learnt that Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A a pure and poignant moment of in- tice that fractured the lives of these I came away from each event des- Mockingbird’ was based on the sight into the prejudice that these boys but also to be gently tickled by perate to learn more, and thanks to Scottsboro Boys and the true story men experienced as they set aside American slapstick and comedy. recommendations of further read- echoes the injustice that still exists the humour. a serious matter in the format of a The combination of emotions ings given by the panellists, I felt in in the US legal system today. The Scottsboro Boys and the traditionally ‘humorous’ minstrel you feel as the play progresses is a much better position to do so. The story is about nine Afri- minstrel era were something that production. This gave the play a nothing short of awkward, hilari- At the time of writing there still can-American boys who were I quite frankly had no clue about, second layer; it was both come- ous and eye-opening. How Ebb and remain a handful of events well falsely accused of gang-raping two so I was unsure about the use of dic and pensive. This made it all Kander managed to do it is beyond worth checking out before the white women whilst on a freight the minstrel format but it became the more interesting to watch and me but they definitely did it well. month is through. Enjoy! 7 theboar.org BHM Event Report: “Some of the most intellectually-stimulating few Queer People of weeks I’ve ever had at Warwick” Colour April Roach Rebecca Myers interviews Maahwish Mirza, Education Officer and Black History Month organiser s part of Black History Why do you think BHM is impor- the Trayvon Martin case, and I Month’s student semi- tant? remember reading that when he nars, four Warwick stu- was gunned down he was hold- dents have held a sem- BHM is important because past ing Skittles and iced tea. Can you Ainar on the hidden histories and histories shape our present world imagine that as an image? That struggles of Queer People of Col- in ways that we sometimes fail to kid was stalked down and shot, our (QPOC) on Tuesday 21. recognise. When you build a socie- and what fell to the ground wasn’t Rachael Hinds, Amy Rafiq and ty brazenly geared towards consol- a gun, but some Skittles. That’s Kapil, began their presentation idating the power of a certain eth- heartbreaking. with some music from QPOC nic group, and it is kept that way At the same time, being Asian artists, such as the song ‘Tous les for centuries, sudden legal chang- myself I’ve seen my friends go Memes’ by Stromae. There were es don’t simply rectify that back- through racial profiling time and also some clips of spoken word ground. Racism isn’t just a singular time again. Black and Asian peo- poetry performances from QPOC event - it’s a way of ordering soci- ple are much more likely to be used in the seminar. ety which spans social, economic, stopped and searched - without The phrase ‘queer’ was defined legal and cultural forces. It’s also a cause - than their white counter- as an umbrella term for sexual and way of shaping society to place one parts. Numerous Muslim men gender minorities that are not het- ethnic group above others, and the and women are often charged and erosexual or gender-binary. introduction of the Race Relations held, often without concrete evi- The talk focused on how the Act was never going to be the silver dence, and the abuse of bodies of intersections of race, class and bullet which would solve all our colour is something that you can gender are crucial factors when problems. see as a visible pattern throughout considering the lesbian, gay, black, BHM is important because it history. Black and brown skin is transgender and self-defining makes people ask whether the still viewed with suspicion, is still asexual community (LGBTUA+). non-white people in our society seen as threatening, and is still However the students explained are still viewed in a certain way treated differently. The psycho- that it is these factors that are often or treated differently. What is the logical effect this has on commu- ignored. legacy and long-term impact of nities is devastating - people not As a result, QPOC often have to centuries of state-sponsored racial only live in fear, but they accept actively create their own spaces in discrimination, slavery and colo- society as there is no official place nialist projects, and how does it » Photo: Maahwish Mirza for them in mainstream society. manifest itself today? What is life The hidden histories of QPOC like as someone who’s not white? a rather isolated and elite campus, attendance was fantastic - at one of Travyon Martin was gunned begin with past imperialism. Ac- The struggle of people of colour and being an ethnic or cultural mi- our events we had over one hun- down holding Skittles and iced cording to the group, during the the world over continues - just nority here is quite an isolating and dred people, leading to us pulling tea. Can you imagine that? colonial period, the natives of col- look at the figures on hate crime difficult experience in itself. out more chairs and even with onies were often seen as having against Muslims. It’s heartbreak- people sitting on the stairs! I feel perverse sexualities whilst colonis- ing, and we need to be talking What was the response from like BHM has really set something ers were seen as being modern and about that. Warwick students to BHM? Did off at Warwick. BHM has gained that as normal, and will actively civilised. BHM is also a firm celebra- you have good attendance/sup- more and more momentum as the change their behaviour patterns QPOC explained that in other tion and reminder of the limitless port? month’s gone on and it’s gotten to avoid being deemed ‘’different’’ non-Western countries catego- achievements of people of col- people thinking about questions or ‘’other’’. My hijabi friends would ries like ‘gay’, for example, mean our around the world, and this I have had people write in to me of race, culture and identity in a rush home early and consciously different things. This can create acknowledgement is important thanking me for the programme, really positive way. I’m really, real- travel in groups after the Wool- problems when Western coun- because it’s not something that’s and officers from different uni- ly proud of that. wich incident, and that hit me tries attempt to draw conclusions regularly acknowledged in often versities telling me they think hard emotionally. In that moment about the LGBTUA+ community Euro-centric syllabuses. Warwick’s BHM programme is What were your favourite events they’d accepted life as second-class in non-Western countries. the best they have seen this year. of the month? citizens, and were living in fear of The seminar raised several po- Why do you think it is important I’ve seen so much enthusiasm, violence - violence that would be litical issues related to QPOC, no- to Warwick in particular? especially from other students of Everything. It was hugely stressful triggered simply because of their tably David Cameron’s decision to colour or students from minority organising it, but when we final- existence. When your friends feel withdraw aid from Uganda on the We are a Russell Group univer- groups who are genuinely happy ly got to the days there wasn’t too afraid to walk the streets at premise that it is an ‘anti-gay coun- sity with a pretty small intake of to see some recognition of their a single event I didn’t enjoy. I night in 21st-century Britain be- try’. The seminar referenced some home ethnic minority students. histories and serious discussion honestly never thought I would cause they’re wearing a hijab, that well-known British QPOC such as We have a thriving community about their struggles taking place. see Warwick host such open and is a real wake-up call. Lady Phil, who introduced the first of international students, but just It was great to see so many Muslim probing discussions on racism and UK black Pride event, and Fiez the presence of non-white people students coming to the talk on discrimination. Then at the same What should we take away from Mughal. doesn’t mean that Warwick is free time we’ve had so much fun too BHM? The presenters stated: “The from racism. When you see poli- - from the Michael Jackson ‘Bad purpose of the QPOC day talk ticians talking about integration, 25’ documentary screening all the Questions. I hope people who was to focus on the different ways they often mean it in the sense that Integration has to be a way to the ‘Scottsboro Boys’ thea- attended our events go away with in which queer people of colours’ ‘’non-white people must assimilate tre trip, which was so emotionally a more critical mind, and try to multiple identities have often been entirely’’- i.e. expecting a complete two-way project powerful and wonderfully staged. unpack the assumptions about left out from various movements, eradication of non-white cultural It’s been some of the most intellec- other people that we all have. I whilst also addressing some of the identity and placing the burden tually-stimulating few weeks I’ve want people to have a think about key problems we face in getting squarely on the shoulders of peo- ever had at Warwick. the very real impact those as- our struggles to the mainstream. ple of colour. But that’s not what Islamophobia and entering into sumptions have, and for us all to “We decided to do this talk to integration involves. It has to be very animated debates on the You organised the “Why do so go away feeling empowered that start an imperative discussion on a two-way project - both groups struggle of being Muslim in a soci- many black boys end up shot though we still live in a society Warwick’s campus that has been need to learn about one another ety that still views them as worthy dead by police?” event. How which isn’t perfect and has a long missing for Queer People of Col- for cohesion to take place, and of suspicion at best and hostility at important to you was it that this way to go towards healing the very our for a long time. The event it- BHM facilitates that kind of learn- worst. While we’ve had some diffi- issue was debated? How did it go? deep wounds of racism, we are all self was very successful as we had ing. cult and painful discussions, we’ve active players with the ability to a great turnout and positive feed- If BHM can make people ac- also had extremely constructive I said in my opening speech that discard the shackles of ideologies knowledge other people and their and empowering ones, and that’s this is an issue which has surfaced that hold us back. I want everyone differences, then it’s done a good what BHM is all about. time and time again - from the to go away wanting to think more, job. BHM is about people under- I’ve also had lots of enthusiasm murder of Emmett Till all the way wanting to get involved more, standing one another as much as from white students who have said to the recent Mike Brown shoot- and mostly wanting to read more it is about understanding the com- that they’ve learnt something new ing, the pages of history are splat- about those issues... and I’d say the plexity of the politics surrounding and hugely enjoyed engaging with tered with the blood of people of best starting point would be The race. A place like Warwick seri- our various events. I think every- colour. What really got to me was Autobiography of Malcolm X! ously needs BHM, because we are one has had a great time, and our when I was first reading about 8 theboar.org The intimacy of Black History Month More than just a month Cindy Asokan, Ethnic Minorities Officer, reflects on months of hard work and the brilliant final product Safrina Ahmed in the single digits, something that had seri- I’ve experienced ously been stressing us out previously. since coming to ’m ashamed to say I never used to cel- Our next event, an interactive talk on Is- university. ebrate Black History Month. In all my lamophobia in Britain, delivered by Ibrahim Highlighting previous schools, it was never really Ali, Vice President of FOSIS (Federation of the massive con- discussed, let alone celebrated. I was the Student Islamic Societies) covered and ex- tradictions in Iatypical child of immigrant parents. I would plored the impacts of Islamophobia in Twen- the British legal be flush with embarrassment when my mum ty-First Century Britain. This was an incred- system and the spoke in Urdu, or to see her wearing the sal- ibly insightful event and something that hit double standards waar kameez out of the house. particularly hard for me personally. When in policing and punish- I knew little of the importance of this campaigning to become Minority Students’ ment meted out to ethnic minority individu- month not just on a structural level but on an Officer, I spoke to several Muslim students als, the panel discussion was incredibly illu- intimate level too. Yet, when I came to War- from several disciplines, ranging from Poli- minating. ‘Get caught selling a small firearm wick last October, the first thing that struck tics to Law, and it was clear that being inves- on the streets of Brixton and you’ll be looking me was how ‘white’ all the spaces were- I was tigated for researching terrorism or Googling at several years in prison, sell massive cargos being lectured by white academics, debat- certain phrases as part of their research for of firearms to Saudi Arabia and get awarded ed with white tutors and was often the only course work was a commonly shared fear. an OBE’ is a phrase that will definitely stay South Asian woman in the room. Given the amount of Islamophobic legisla- with me for a long time. Warwick’s Black History Month has pro- tion passed in recent years, one has to look At the start of the Q&A session, I decid- vided a much needed antidote to this. Sitting no further than the government’s CONTEST ed to throw out a question to the audience: in on the debate on black boys and police and Prevent strategies to see examples of this, ‘Who here has had personal experiences of brutality to watching Scottsboro Boys at the I was extremely grateful to have a platform to being randomly being stopped and searched Garrick Theatre, a musical about one of the raise awareness of this problem and happy to by the police?’ biggest racially motivated miscarriages of have a room full of students ready to engage The results were staggering. Almost all the justice in history, has been affirming. with the issue. black men in the room had been stopped and It has been affirming to have these discus- his October marked the start of Another idea devised by Anti-Racism searched at some point in their life, many sions that are so desperately needed but no the first ever Black History Month Society that I particularly enjoyed were the over thirty times, a few even stated that they one wants to talk about. It has been affirming Warwick has ever seen. Despite Student Seminars, designed to facilitate con- had lost count and one had been stopped and to see so many people of colour, and those having no idea of what to expect or versations between ordinary students, draw detained under the UK terror act. One of our who are not, want to celebrate a history that Tthe scale of the project we were undertak- them into the debate and encourage dis- panelists had broken their toe in the back has been ignored, and is still ignored today. ing, backed by the union, we set out with cussion. Our first student seminar ‘Facing of a police van on one of the occasions they There was a moment when watching The the aim of educating, entertaining and chal- Stereotyping, Hysteria and Tokenism: Why had been stopped, meaning that they could Scottsboro Boys that the importance of this lenging established narratives. Armed with Are Ethnic Minorities Still Misrepresented no longer play for Chelsea FC. I would like month became startlingly clear to me. The campaigning packs and posters from the in the Media?’ led to analysis on media mis- to extend my sincerest thanks to Alexander show took the form of a minstrel show, and NUS Black Students’ Campaign, I was par- representation, demonisation of minori- Paul, a Warwick PAIS fresher, who sat on our was full of vivacious tap dancing and music. ticularly excited to see the months of hard ty communities, as seen in the Rotherham panel. Despite only being in his third week of The last scene, by contrast, was silent. The planning materialise. abuse scandal and exploring appropriation university, he definitely held his own, and I only figure on stage left was Rosa Parks on Kicking off with one of the more light- and lack of recognition of black artists. I was was personally very moved by his story. bus 2857. She stays seated in this scene and hearted events in our lineup, a screening of incredibly touched to be approached by sev- We hope you have enjoyed the past month her only words were: I will sit here and rest Bad 25, a documentary film directed by the eral students after the event telling me how as much as we have. For me, the highlights my tired feet. legendary director Spike Lee and cocktails eye-opening they found the seminar and how of the month include the Ferguson panel The salience of Park’s simple but radical appropriately named after Michael Jackson’s much they had enjoyed the discussion. and the WARSoc trip to see ‘The Scottsboro words demonstrated to me importance of hits ‘Thriller’ and ‘Annie, Are You Okay?’ By far our most popular event of the month, Boys’ (and bumping into the cast in Leices- celebrating Black History Month, and how a reference to ‘Smooth Criminal’ amongst the Ferguson panel and following discussion ter Square afterwards!) and I can’t wait to see we should never abandon it. others (oh, the peppiness!) we drew a re- of policing methods of minority communi- what Black History Month in future years It is people like you and me who should spectable crowd, including NUS Black Stu- ties drew crowds so large we had to collect will hold. carry this history with us. We should never dents’ Officer, Malia Bouattia, and members additional chairs for the room, a personal Even as the largest student- run Black His- let it become white washed. We should never of BEMA, the Birmingham Ethnic Minor- triumph! It would not be an exaggeration to tory Month in the country, we hope to see an hide it, even if like I did for so long, feel em- ities Association, leaving us reassured that say that the few hours I spent in that lecture expansion of BHM year upon year. barrassed by it. would not in fact be dealing with turnouts theatre were some of the most enlightening How BHM helped me find my campaign voice Patricia Mbangui finds her feet with a little help from anti-racism on campus or many years, campuses across the I did not expect to be enlightened and in- globe have been a centre for cam- spired to actively make a change in terms of paigning and discussion of the key speaking about issues that particularly con- issues of society. They have been plac- cern ethnic minorities. Fes to learn and educate others on matters of For so long, I had felt I didn’t have a voice racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia in this matter and thought it was best be quiet and all types of prejudices that continue to but going to this seminar expertly crafted by affect our daily lives. the Warwick Anti-Racism Society and being Warwick is obviously no exception. The surrounded by students with minds unlike prevalence of Warwick Anti-Racism Society, narrow corridors but open fields willing to let Warwick Anti Sexism Society, Mind Aware in knowledge changed my perspective. and Enable have helped spread the message With each stimulus, it was if a voice that of non-tolerance to these type of prejudice had struggled in my chest burst forth, the one and have given the platform for students to that had seen all these prejudices and decid- learn and educate each other on these issues. ed to put them forth in the form of coherent This year, it was my turn to be learn and arguments. educate others as I attended my very first dent, I have always evision, read about This was the first time I had found a space student seminar on Why Ethnic Minorities felt it is not my place in newspapers and where people were willing to listen and share are Misrepresented in the Media. A newbie to correct people on watched in films were their point of view of minority misrepresenta- to the campaigning societies at Warwick, the prejudices I see never a reflection of tion and for that I am forever thankful. I was determined in my second year to be from day to day in the millions of peo- So thank you WarSoc, thank you Warwick more involved and, as if by chance, the fact the view of not try- ple of colour I have SU, and thank you Black History Month for that Black History Month was more of an oc- ing to upset other encountered growing helping me find my campaign voice and add- casion than it was last year was a huge factor people. up in multi-cultural ing another roar to the many lions fighting to encourage me to participate. I always held my South London. So, for less prejudice at this great institution. I went expecting to listen. I left with a roar, frustrations with the going to this seminar, crying for change. That may sound cliché to fact that people of I expected more of some people. But for me as a minority stu- colour I saw on tel- the same. » Photo: Maahwish Mirza 30 theboar.org Tête-à-tête Is Black History Month still relevant? Halimah Manan says YES Ijeoma Okoye says NO

n deciding whether Black History Month can be seen as very significant in its lack of riticism of Black History Month can original purpose of Black History Month has is still relevant, we must consider the rea- representation. often be perceived as (if you’re black) been reached. sons for which it was established. From Especially when you consider how little self-hatred or ignorance of the strug- That isn’t to say that Black History Month whatI the Prime Minister’s letter in Black His- focus is afforded to black peoples’ history on Cgles black people have faced. It’s not ex- shouldn’t be celebrated by anyone at all. It tory Month UK says, the month is dedicated a general basis in schools. Despite the fact actly hard to see why people react this way. has personal significance to many people, to recognising and paying tributes to the that black people most certainly contributed Black history was not documented when which is something that I deeply respect. people from Africa and the Caribbean who to the First and Second World Wars, my own the monthly tradition first came about. The However, to say that it remains a necessity is have contributed to the history of Britain experience of History has taught me next to lack of focus on black history seen in the text perhaps untrue, though around the time of but also marking the centenary of the First nothing about them. Are they not also sig- books up until the 20th century is shocking its original inception it mostly certainly was. World War in the context of the soldiers who nificant? While the general curriculum con- when you consider how long black people Black History Month is no longer the best came from the colonies. As well as that, he tinues to ignore their contributions, Black have been in America. way to write the history of black people into claims that this month is about tackling ‘to- History Month is relevant in its ability to It was the historian Carter G. Woodson world history, nor is it the most effective way day’s challenges’ - presumably the racism and recognise them. who first gave black history a designated of addressing racism, or the perceived lack stereotypes prevalent in society. Moreover, this lack of representation time period, as a response to his findings of black role models in society. We’ve moved You may believe that we already mark oc- feeds into media stereotypes of black people, that African-American history had mostly to a point where we need to see black history casions, such as the First World War, enough which is often overwhelmingly negative. Of- been ignored, misrepresented or that his- incorporated into the mainstream education and there is no need to give them a new an- ten black people are presented as inherently tory books only recounted the lesser social system – and that’s whether we’re discussing gle in favour of black people. After all, if we violent or criminals, such as Mike Brown, position they were in during that period. world history or British history. In the Unit- have Remembrance Day, why not just me- who was shot down by a police officer in Au- After the creation of Negro History Week in ed Kingdom Black History Month makes up morialise them within that? gust, making it easy to condemn them and 1926, 1969 saw the expansion of this period for the fact that there is no space for it in the It’s a fair point to make but even though significant peaceful figures in history who to a full month. curriculum. But human history is a single Black History Month has been established do not fit this stereotype, such as Nelson It’s important to note social context in story that can only be fully understood when since 1987, there still remains a distinct lack Mandela and Martin Luther King, are con- which Black History Month was first born all narratives are examined - and that’s what of attention afforded to significant black sidered the minority. Against such a strong out of if we are talking about its significance we should be aiming for. individuals within history. Sure, everyone media bias, Black History Month presents an today. It would be presumptuous – naïve A history month, whilst having some knows about the Civil Rights Movement alternative view of black people, highlight- even - to state that black people have reached positives, is not empowering as it should be. and Apartheid but black peoples’ accom- ing not only popular black figures, but the full social equality in the United States and The growing emergence of positive black plishments are not limited to those singular contributions of others as well, which might Canada, so I’ll keep my arguments focused role models in wider Western society means events. Within the Western world, history well help in dismantling general stereotypes. on the United Kingdom. Here, I think it’s that we instead need to be more aware about has been overwhelmingly presented with a So yes, Black History Month is still rel- fair to say that awareness of black history how the West’s historical narrative can be ‘Eurocentric’ viewpoint, which, when placed evant and will remain so until black people has grown significantly. With the increased distorted and think about newer, more ac- in conjunction with the systematic oppres- are represented fairly in both studies of the amount of powerful black figures in the curate was to tell it. sion of black people and other minorities, past and the media today. Western world, you could even say that the

‘Minds. He left minds.’ Black pioneers of “Is feminism a euro- What is the legacy of science, technology, Don’t miss: the centric ideology?” Malcolm X? and engineering All photos credit 27th October 30th October 31st October Ife Akinroyeje and SO.13 H1.48 SU Atrium Maahwish Mirza last week of BHM Social Sciences 7.30pm Display 5pm Editor: Emily Nabney theboar.org 2130 [email protected] Twitter @BoarBooks BOOKS fb.com/groups/BoarBooks Stories to make your blood run cold This Halloween, four writers reveal the most frightening books they’ve ever read The Woman in Black by Susan Hill Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury efore reading The Woman in Black, ously named Eel Marsh House, entirely cut First of all, it was October, a rare month The supernatural carnival grants people’s I had never thought that words on off from the mainland, as it is surrounded by for boys.” most secret desires, at a sinister cost. This a page could scare me. Put me in a bog. No writer captured the magical qual- plot device allows the novel to tackle the front of a typical horror movie like How exactly does Hill terrify her readers? ity of Halloween better than Ray Brad- theme of age: the father could go back to be- ParanormalB Activity however, and I would be It is not, as the 2012 film would have you be- “bury in Something Wicked This Way Comes. ing a child, but must learn to come to terms absolutely petrified. I did not expect this lit- lieve, with jumps and hair-raising screams. His control of language was masterful, espe- with his true self. Unsurprisingly, from the tle novella to frighten me in the way that an The Woman in Black creates a situation of cially when moulding atmosphere. His words author of Farenheit 451, it’s also a story about image on a screen could. deep, intense anxiety and isolation. are poetry in prose; the spookiness is palpa- books. The most riveting scenes occur in a The Woman in Black has all This is primarily accomplished ble. Bradbury’s fluidity with genre library, and literature plays a role in the characteristics of the by the fact that Eel Marsh is particularly striking, writing defeating the villain of the story. kind of book which can House, due to tidal pat- everything from fantasy, Something Wicked’s an- be read quickly and terns, is only accessible horror, realism and sci- tagonist is truly terrifying. without much after- at certain times of the ence fiction, all in one The Illustrated Man, or thought. Hill creates day, leaving Kipps fre- text! Despite a some- Mr. Dark, is a hellish an atmosphere using quently stranded in what slow start, the figure who appears in Dickensian tropes the house. As if this novel soon throws previous short stories that have been used wasn’t bad enough, the reader into a by Bradbury. Sport- time and time again. the spectre of Jennet thrilling nightmare ing a black suit and This ranges from the Humfrye haunts the world, whilst retain- tattoos of his victims, foggy London which house, and toys with ing a leisurely, even he genuinely freaked could have been lifted Arthur Kipps as if he lyrical, style. me out. Fortunately, directly from Bleak were a mouse in a cage. In its essence, this as with all good sto- House, to the names of Her horrifying appear- is a story about boy- ries, good will always her characters - ever met ance combined with her hood. Bradbury cap- prevail over evil. anyone with a name like Jen- vengeful purpose is enough tures the 13-year-old Ray Bradbury was one net Humfrye? To add insult to to make her presence haunt the mind-set brilliantly. The of the masters of horror and injury, the novel begins on a Christ- mind of the reader long after the novel protagonists, Jim and Will, are science fiction literature. He was mas Eve, not quite on a ‘dark and stormy is finished. boys seeking adventure, but get out a major influence for authors such as night’, but the weather is indeed dismal. If jump scares and adrenaline rushes are of their depth when they explore a travelling Neil Gaiman, and Something Wicked bears Through the use of tried and tested Victorian your thing, The Woman in Black might not be carnival of freaks. They must face a supernat- many similarities to Gaiman’s The Ocean at Gothic tropes, Hill lulls the reader into a false for you (though the 2012 film certainly pro- ural power that is completely beyond their the End of the Lane – another brilliant Oc- sense of literary security. vides both). However, Hill’s quietly threaten- control – a force which even Will’s father tober read. You owe it to yourself to read a Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor in Lon- ing imagery permeates the entire novel. This seems unable to defeat (and what could be scary book this Halloween, and no writer don, is sent to the town of Crythjn Gifford creates a chilling kind of atmosphere that scarier to a child than that?). In my opinion, communicates the holiday’s spooky atmos- to settle the affairs of the recently deceased Paranormal Activity cannot hope to achieve. Bradbury presents one of the greatest fathers phere like Ray Bradbury. Alice Drablow. As a result of this, he is to in literature: an older man who is a boy at search her home for documents; the curi- Bethan Erasmus heart, something the author said of himself. Oliver Neil-Smith

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver In Cold Blood by Truman Capote cary books do not appeal to me at phere she builds up, which is arguably the n Friends, Joey is famously so frightened At this point in the novel my copy mysteri- all. I can half understand the allure most important part of a scary book. Begin- by Stephen King’s The Shining that he is ously began spending lots of cold nights in of horror films when you are in a big ning only with slight paranoia, the tension forced to store the book in the freezer my Fiat Panda. group of friends, because it is fun to and suspense gradually builds up so that be- in a bid to banish it from his thoughts. The most haunting sequence is when pa- Sbe scared together (although I’d much rather fore you realise it, you are terrified. Chilling- ThisI idiosyncrasy used to seem ridiculous to triarch Herbert Clutter is convinced that the a Hugh Grant flick than a horror movie). ly real, it is difficult to remember that what me. However, it wasn’t long after beginning two men have broken in solely to commit Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is you are reading is fictional. In Cold Blood that I found myself ‘acciden- a robbery. As a reader, we know different. the only book that I have read The narrative, too, adds to tally’ leaving the book in my car. The police later discover his daugh- that I would class as ‘scary’. the truth that seems present In Cold Blood is a journalis- ter Nancy’s precious gold watch It was picked for book in this speculative fiction. tic account of the 1959 mur- hidden in a shoe, in an at- club when I was in sixth We read the tale through der of the Clutter family tempt to protect it from the form and, whilst it ter- Jack’s journals, bring- in deepest Kansas. It is ‘robbers’. The systematic rified me, I cannot ing more ambiguity chilling, gripping and murder of each mem- deny it is a brilliant into an already uncer- frightening, not least ber of the family, and book and perfectly tain and dark situa- because it is a true the discovery of their fitting for Hallow- tion and this leaves story. After notic- bodies, is excruciat- een. us worrying for our ing a short article in ing; Capote even de- Paver’s novel tells narrator. With gaps The New York Times, scribes the pattern of the story of Jack here and there in the Capote spent seven the blood splattered who, in 1937, goes narrative, the reader is years immersed in from the family’s on an Arctic science forced to imagine the the Clutter story, gunshot wounds. The expedition to a small worst, which is the best amassing over 8,000 initial emphasis on the camp to work as a wireless tool in an author’s kit to notes from interviews Clutter’s normality is a operator. The Arctic sum- create an atmosphere of fear. with local residents and constant reminder that mer is over much too quickly, With Halloween around the the killers themselves. this could have happened to bringing the long, dark days which corner, it is certainly the one time in The text opens by acquaint- any family, perhaps even your never seem to end. Slowly, those who have the year when I will consider reading horror ing us with the habits, dispositions own. accompanied Jack must leave, one by one. books. If you want to get into the spirit, grab and backgrounds of both the Clutter family Although I often cite it as one of my fa- There are two options: to stay or to go and it some Halloween treats and try Dark Matter. and their murderers. These characters, and vourite books, I have only read In Cold Blood must be made before the sea freezes, which One piece of advice, speaking from experi- the Kansas landscape that surrounds them, once. The prospect of having to go and fetch will mean no way out. Hostility pervades the ence: do not read it at night before you go to do not seem confined to the page. It is only it from my car again is somewhat off-putting. novel, recognisable in the people as well as sleep. Not a good idea. once this life-like sense is established that the surroundings. Capote gives the reader a full version of the Izzy Stevenson Paver’s ‘dark magic’ is through the atmos- Karishma Jobanputra night of the murders in its gruesome reality. » Photos (from top): susanhill.com, Flickr/Wapster » Photos (from top): pageplucker.com, murderpedia. theboar.org/Books | @BoarBooks | BOOKS 22 16 theboar.org Controversial characters: Emma Wooodhouse Pint of purple Is Jane Austen’s Emma relatable or just annoying to read about? We investigate Pro-Emma: “If Emma’s methods are dubious, her good intentions are not” the reading habits of Deputy Books t’s rare to find a female Austen fan who Editor Carmella didn’t harbour a secret desire to emulate Elizabeth Bennet: it’s still rarer to find Lowkis one who did picture herself as an Emma IWoodhouse. Emma is nosy, interfering and, above all, naïve; and yet I’d argue that these qualities, alongside her often overlooked What book are you reading at the moment? (but nonetheless numerous) positive ones, I’m always ‘reading’ about eight books at any are those in which we can all recognise our- given time, so this is a little hard to answer! selves. The one that I’m currently closest to finish- Emma is introduced to us as “handsome, ing is The Cuckoo’s Calling, a detective novel clever, rich, with a comfortable home” – four by Robert Galbraith (aka. J. K. Rowling). of the qualities in herself to which she assigns the littlest value. Throughout the novel she Who is your favourite literary character? is shown to be artistically talented, witty and It would have to be Violet Baudelaire from more than capable of standing up for herself, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate and yet still these are not as important to her Events. I went through a phase of wanting as the ability to read and construct social sit- to be an inventor just like her, but then I uations. Vanity, as Mr Knightley observes, is realised that it would require a much better not among Emma’s faults. knowledge of science than I possessed, so I If we picture our own friendship circles, had to give up on that dream! it’s likely that we can all think of one person » Romola Gari as Emma in the 2009 BBC TV adaptation Photo: interactive.wixx.com whose self-assigned role it is to know the What is the first book you remember read- minutiae of everyone else’s business: the one attempts to engineer a relationship stems dubious, her good intentions are not. ing? who is, like Emma, constantly on the lookout from genuine pleasure in making the people Perhaps most importantly, however, is I can clearly remember reading The Mouse- for any hint of a potential romance to further she loves happy. Some argue that her motives Emma’s willingness to learn from her mis- hole Cat by Antonia Barber over and over or discuss. are selfish, and indeed, a sense of self-satis- takes. Her lack of self-awareness – she is again. I always loved the pictures of an enor- faction might be an undeniable side-effect blind to her own romantic feelings as well as mous Storm-Cat which caused a horrible of successful matchmaking as in the case of those of her friends and acquaintances – is tempest at sea. However, my favourite part If we find her irritating, perhaps it’s Miss Taylor and Mr Weston. Other evidence the root of most of her problems in the novel. was at the end, when everyone gathered to- of Emma’s personality points, however, in a When she comes to see the problems she has gether to eat stargazy pie. because we recognise some of her more commendable direction. caused, however, her capacity for remorse flaws in ourselves. Emma is absolutely loyal to her loved ones: and her determination to put things right are What is your all-time favourite book? a staunch supporter of the Taylor-Weston limitless. One of my favourite books is Les Misérables. match from the beginning, she not only ac- Emma’s flaws, as well as her better quali- It’s such a fantastic and inspiring story, al- cepts but actively encourages the ‘loss’ of her ties, are what make her relatable; and if we though admittedly I could have lived with- And yes, it is easy to dismiss this sort of closest friend to marriage. More tellingly, she find her irritating, perhaps it’s because we out the six entire chapters dedicated to the behaviour as interfering or irritating, but initially refuses to marry Mr Knightley un- recognise some of those flaws in ourselves. history of the Parisian sewer system! My how can we overlook the absolute absence til her father’s death to spare the latter from other favourite book is Good Omens by Terry of malice in her character? Every one of her distress. Surely even if Emma’s methods are Fiona Farnsworth Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, which is a come- dy about the Biblical apocalypse. Anti-Emma: “Emma is selfish, conceited, and incredibly snobbish” If you wrote an autobiography, what would be the title? mma Woodhouse may be handsome, that anybody might not view her with the ut- should she consider Harriet’s feelings when Something like “Anything It Takes to Climb clever, and rich, but above all of these most veneration. Harriet is so far beneath her? the Ladder of Success,” because at first it things she is a snob. Worst of all Emma’s attitudes is her one This haughty attitude culminates when makes me sound like a ruthlessly self-mo- From the seat of social power af- towards Harriet. From the outset, Harriet is both Harriet and Emma fall in love with the tivated go-getter, but really it’s just a quote Eforded by her manifold privileges, Emma a project for Emma, someone whom she can same man. Without a breath of hesitation, from High School Musical. I feel like this of- surveys her acquaintances with punishing remodel in her own, irreproachable image. Emma is willing to demote Harriet from best fers a very accurate view of me. judegment. The men may be handsome and In Emma’s worldview, people like Harriet are friend to rival, all the while forming a mental gallant, but their fortunes are far too small to nothing more than accessories for her own list of how Harriet is the inferior of the two. Kindle vs. book? be worthy of her attention. The women are self-aggrandisement; hardly a minute seems This is a character who has obviously never I definitely prefer reading lengthier novels pretty, but nowhere near as clever or as re- to pass without Emma comparing herself heard of ‘sisters before misters’. on my Kobo, if only to save hefting them fined as Emma. Her friends are often boring, to Harriet, and remarking that she is “not Some might argue that Emma is an exam- around, but I tend to buy shorter works as inferior, or pitiable, and when Emma graces clever” and a “Nobody” by birth. Moreover, ple of Bildungsroman, and that it is therefore print books. It’s just nice to be able to add them with her presence it is an act of philan- not a second’s thought is spared for Harriet’s necessary for Emma to be immature and a book to your bookshelf when you’re done thropy. Emma seems to believe that her time wishes, to ask whether Harriet wants to be egotistical at the beginning: how else is she with it. Also, on a practical basis, with eB- is the best gift that she can bestow upon these “improved”. Emma’s privilege leaves her with to grow and develop by the novel’s end? This ooks, there is a very real danger that I might lowly folk – never once does it occur to her an incredible sense of self-entitlement; why is true – and Emma does grow and develop spend my entire bank balance without real- – but what she develops into is no more like- ising! able! She may become less wont to play god in the lives of her friends, but her preoccu- How much is a pint of purple? pation with class is present even in the final I’m going to have to make an embarrassing chapter. admission here: I’ve never so much as seen a pint of purple! I know, I know, I’m not a proper Warwick student, and I should prob- This is a character who has ably just leave now before I single-handedly obviously never heard of ‘sisters destroy the university’s reputation. before misters’.

Despite all that I have said, I will make one concession: that the character of Emma is what makes Emma a good book. She’s selfish, conceited, and incredibly snobbish, but all of these things mean that she is interesting. As a protagonist, Emma is a success. As a person, however, she is not somebody with whom I would want to spend a moment of my time.

Carmella Lowkis » Gwenyth Paltrow plays the titular role in the 1996 film adaptation Photo: fanpop.com theboar.org 26 Editor: Sam Evans [email protected] Twitter @BoarMusic MUSIC fb.com/groups/BoarMusic Boar Jukeb x Eerie classics

The haunting season is upon us, and to celebrate, here are a few of Boar Music’s favourite spooky tunes. Just don’t listen after midnight...

Immortal Technique: ‘Dance With The Devil’ For those unfamiliar with the New York rapper’s infamous tale of brutality and mur- der, ‘Dance With The Devil’ is less of a song than a nightmare, detailing a scene so twisted with its ultimate climax that listener discre- tion must be advised – this song is not for the faint of heart. For those who have braved the song to its finale, this is a story never easi- ly forgotten, as Felipe’s lyricism ruthlessly paints a picture of violence vivid enough to turn listeners nauseous – spooky stuff. Jeevan Sahota Broken glass Swans: ‘Lunacy’ Adam Davey provides a retrospective on Crystal Castles, following the departure of frontwoman Alice Glass Whenever I listen to this song, I feel like I’m glancing into the mindset of a mod- » The saddest thing is that we might never see that outrageous wardrobe again. Photo: wikipedia.org ern Halloween horror. The song just builds with terrifying textures then dies down into distinctly remember a moment a couple mains, endearingly inconsistent. For exam- Alice’s screamed vocals, and this is some of a haunting chant telling us of “innocence, of years ago when a girl from my sixth ple, the Miniclip-esque leaping octave bass the most exciting and cutting-edge parts of not innocent. Innocent, in no sense,” until form, leather jacket adorned, was flick- and overall bouncy peppiness of Ethan Katz’s the duo’s work. the song peaks with its explosive chant of ing through tracks on her faux-jewel-en- production on one of their debut album’s Songs such as those mentioned previously simply “LUNACY.” Following this powerful Icrusted iPod, sifting through brooding pout- most catchy numbers, ‘Crimewave’, betrays helped to define what constitutes as music in period of lunacy, the chant breaks, and the pop contemporaries such as The xx and Lana a thematic darkness lying beneath the sur- the hyped-up, plugged-in world of the present loud repetitive thumps fade into melancholic Del Rey, and landed with steely precision face. The vocal line repeats a short phrase day, and acted as a kind of punk renaissance melodies, as if in mourning: “Your childhood on a track from Crystal Castles’ eponymous throughout the song which is barely incoher- for the age of laptops, as anyone who has ex- is over.” debut album. Taking a bottle of water out of ent on the first few listens, but on closer in- perienced the frenetic, borderline violent at- Daniel Kuburoglu her bag, a dog-eared copy of The Fault in Our spection, the fragmented mentions of “short mosphere of a Crystal Castles gig can testify. Stars by John Green could be seen pitifully breaths”; “nice breasts” and “rough hands” Alice’s lyric of “robotic love, I’m programmed limping about between textbooks. paints a more disturbing picture. to moan”, a line reminiscent of the dystopi- Xiu Xiu: ‘I Luv The Valley OH!’ At first, the bizarre valley of dichotomy In this sense, the voice that Crystal Castles an lyrics of Gary Numan on ‘xxzxcuzx Me’ Possibly the pinnacle of the band’s fifteen between these two far-flung reaches of pop provided for the internet generation was one pairs itself well with the song’s own title, as it year career, and certainly the poppiest track culture seemed a gulf incomprehensible to of hormonal anarchy that sits underneath comments on the changing goalposts of how frontman Jamie Stewart has ever written, this me, especially considering that her response a constantly bubbling, semi-ironically me- we identify ourselves in the barren landscape song is a three minute trip through the worst to my question of what about Crystal Castles’ lodic veneer. Themes that, fully ironically, of cyberspace. Words turn to txtspk. Human the human condition has to offer. Oblique brand of seeming hardcore chaos appealed to The Fault in Our Stars readers will be famil- connection turns into images on screens. The references to depression abound, and the her was something along the lines of it being iar with through the chronicling of Hazel’s external disconnects from the internal. tension and anxiety in his voice is unmistake- good background music. Maybe it’s just me, slippery dance with mortality; throughout Crystal Castles not only helped the subge- able. It’s a tough listen, but there’s a sense of but I might find it slightly challenging to fo- which she wears a false smile to conceal her nre of “witch-house” (electronic music with catharsis that comes from it as well: listening cus on weeping over the sexy tragedy of Au- inner emotional turmoil. dark, possibly occult undertones) to flourish, to Stewart yell the titular “OH!” is undeniably gustus Waters’ life while the sounds of harpy but undoubtedly helped to widen the gener- satisfying, in an admittedly perverse way. shrieks and demonic NES bleeps fill my ear al acceptance of more experimental forms of Sam Evans canals. But each to their own. Words turn to txtspk. Human connec- weighty, complex electronic music. For proof, Now that vocalist Alice Glass’ departure tion turns into images on screens. The look no further than the success of Grimes or from the band for “reasons both professional external disconnects from the internal. FKA twigs. Yet, these artists are not succes- Nine Inch Nails: ‘The Downward Spiral’ and personal”, according to posts on her so- sors of Crystal Castles, rather they are more In a time before Trent Reznor became an cial media, has seen the duo bid their adieu, unrelated quasi after-effects. The legacy of Oscar-winning composer, the NIN power- the key to unlocking the bizarre duplicity of controlled chaos that the band leaves will house exhibited a flair for bizarre instrumen- their appeal seemed to come to me in a Bib- always stay continually relevant, yet there’s a tal pieces. With heavy drum beats and distant lical ray of crunchy 8-bit light. With the band In truth, whilst a large amount of their ma- small part of me that feels as though they let screaming alongside acoustic guitars and themselves a walking stylistic contradiction terial is based on the duplicity of light and the darkness overcome them and tear them softly-spoken lyrics; The Downward Spiral is in almost every facet of their work, it should dark, the music of Crystal Castles will largely apart too soon. But maybe there’s a lesson in four minutes of contradiction. Whether it be have come as no surprise to me that this be remembered for the more-often-than-not that. Maybe that’s the way it was supposed to the unnerving, industrial hum throughout or would manifest itself in those that connected moments when darkness takes the upper be. As John Green wrote, “the marks humans the bombastic instrumentation in its finale - with their work. I was probably just being a hand in the battle of raging emotions, and leave are too often scars.” Reznor creates an eerie and uncomfortable bit too snarky about John Green to have real- we are treated to pieces of pure, unrestrained In any case, thanks, jewel-case-iPod-girl. journey for the listener. It’s certainly not easy ised that at the time. pandemonium. Songs (if such a word is apt) Long live the crazy background music. listening... but you’ll be fascinated enough to What I mean about the music of Crystal such as ‘Alice Practice’, ‘xxzxcuzx Me’ and keep coming back for more. Castles being a contradiction is that a large ‘Doe Deer’ (from the group’s second LP) Ollie Ship part of why they seem to have left such a are songs in which the once-hidden dark- More news, reviews and mark on the modern music landscape and ness rears its wild head and manifests itself interviews online: acted as veritable trailblazers of the so-called in grating glitches and sounds of computer theboar.org/music “DIY scene” is that their music was, and re- system failure that grapple unceasingly with theboar.org/Music | @BoarMusic | MUSIC 24 26 theboar.org

Coffee House Sessions: Florrie Bestival (and the Jay Chauhan reviews the first Coffee House Session of the term from drummer turned singer-songwriter Florrie Restivals)

This week, Hannah Bettison gives her per- spective on the 2014 festival experience from the other side of the barrier. My experience of festivals this summer was probably very different to most. For starters, I went to both V Festival and Boardmasters for free. Thanks to a Facebook competition and a lucky friend with work commitments I landed myself two tickets to V Fest. Obvious- ly, it was incredible, and made all the better by my bestie constantly reminding me we paid nothing to be there, much to the annoy- ance of those around us who did pay I’m sure. However, arguably the more eventful of my experiences was Boardmasters, a surf and music festival in Newquay, where I vol- unteered as a festival steward through Ox- fam. You can also volunteer through Festaff as my sister did at T in the Park and V Fest. Each one involves paying a deposit which is returned once you’ve completed two or three 8-hour shifts across the festival. It’s pretty simple, and you can find more information at the Oxfam or Festaff websites if you’re in- » Name: Florrie. Age: 25. Likes: Staring off into the distance; ambient backdrops. Photo: Coffee House Sessions terested. pcoming pop starlet Florrie took does not generally perform covers (prob- she performed the heart-felt ‘Galaxies’ that to the Coffee House Sessions stage ably due to her already extensive back cat- saw her proclaiming, “You wanna be loved Nonetheless I cannot recommend the expe- earlier this month in Curiositea as alogue), within a showcase environment it now I know you’re mine, you wanna be loved rience of volunteering as a festival steward part of her 2-week tour. After years was pleasant to see the audience sing along like the first time” over a soft guitar rhythm. more Uof listening to her EPs, many of which were to hits like ‘Budapest’ (originally by George It was refreshing to hear a display of raw self-released, I was pleasantly surprised to Ezra) and Imagine Dragon’s ‘Radioactive’, a emotion and passion that echoed through find out that she had been signed to Sony somewhat unexpected transformation into Florrie’s vocals once more, again illustrating Music this year, with hopes to release an al- a haunting and poignant acoustic number. this sense of an intimate performance. While the stewarding aspect of my Board- bum in 2015. The highlight of the set, however, came from masters weekend was great, my entire expe- Despite some assumptions, Florrie is not the performance of her latest single ‘Little rience wasn’t necessarily so. The final day of your typical pop singer. She is a multi-instru- White Lies’ that saw her light vocals become The highlight of the set saw her light vocals music, highlights of which included Catfish mentalist who found fame initially in house stronger with an exhilarated chorus, which become stronger with an exhilarated chorus, and the Bottlemen, George Ezra and Bastille, drumming for the likes of The Pet Shop Boys augmented the passionate lyrics. which augmented the passionate lyrics. for which I had even gone to the trouble of and Kylie Minogue. From then on she began swapping a shift and missing Snoop Dogg to songwrite for some of the biggest names (not a particular personal loss), was can- in pop including Girls Aloud and The Sat- I was intrigued to discover what she would celled due to extreme weather conditions. I urdays. It is therefore no surprise that pop sound like in an acoustic space, and she did can’t really complain as my volunteering was production house Xenomania (Cher, Texas) not disappoint It just shows that upcoming performers do also in part to raise money for the people Ox- has been working with the talented singer for not require waves of pyrotechnics and typical fam helps, who live in much worse situations. over four years now. chart-friendly dance tracks to stand out from However, hearing of the cancellation and Due to Florrie’s electronic routes I was the crowd. If an artist can transform their having a tent pole snap on your head doesn’t intrigued to discover what she would Florrie was clearly in her element; strum- music to expose raw instrumental talent then exactly make great festival memories. Per- sound like in an acoustic space, and ming in a quaint, personal setting clearly al- Florrie is definitely one to watch; I certain- haps that and the V Fest tickets were a kind she did not disappoint. Armed with an lowed her to thoroughly connect with her au- ly look forward to seeing her once again in of karma. acoustic guitar, Cajon drum box, mi- dience. as shown by her taking a song request 2015! Nonetheless I cannot recommend the ex- crophone and funky stripe jumper, she from an audience member earlier to perform perience of volunteering as a festival stew- kicked off her six-song set withk the a track from her first EP Left Too Late. Orig- What did you think of ard more. Aside from the free tickets mak- athemic ‘Live a Little’. The catchy upbeat inally a euphoric mid-tempo track with a Florrie’s set at Coffee House ing whatever you do get to see a bonus (and track was, surprisingly, given a rework into spellbinding chorus, Florrie altered it into an sessions? this can be everything as my sister realised a bluesy country-esque number that left the emotive ballad that allowed the lyrics of the Tweet: @BoarMusic when she had finished her shifts by 4pm on audience anticipating more. While Florrie track to shine through. To conclude the set, the Friday of T in the Park), there are numer- ous other perks. You’ll normally get asked to arrive early, avoiding traffic, queues and of- Album Reviews ten get to bypass security (not that I am sug- gesting anything of course). You get a staff campsite with its own security, better toilets Alt-J Ben Howard Opeth and sometimes showers and hot water as well This Is All Yours    I Forget Where We Were     Pale Communion  as meals or meal money provided when on shift. Staff wristbands and passes also make you feel kind of famous, often entitling you to After the success of the Having largely stayed out Coming from one of the queue jump and bypass security (again, not past couple of trian- of the spotlight since his most talked about bands suggesting anything). That said, my Board- gle-branded years, the Brit Award wins and Mer- in the prog metal scene, master’s highlight of sitting on a hay bale pressure was firmly on cury Prize nomination, Pale Communion ad- overlooking the sea with a £5 pint of cider for Alt-J’s second release. Ben Howard returns with dresses some of the issues was made ten times sweeter by being able to However, the finished his sophomore effort. of its predecessor (2011’s do it with several £1 cans of rum and coke. product is somewhat Despite being described Heritage), whilst creat- Finally, the people you meet stewarding lacking: don’t be sur- as “almost too serious” ing a few problems of its are as good as any festival friends, if not bet- prised if you’re left feeling a sense of want- by the man himself, the longer tracks allow own. Whilst the band feels much more com- ter. Plenty of people volunteer by themselves ing more from these guys. Missteps like ‘Left Howard’s technical expertise to build within fortable and in control of what they’re doing, and I spent my favourite evening of the week- Hand Free’ are balanced out by the brilliance each one. It’s refreshing to see he hasn’t done this sense of ease extends sometimes into the end with a bunch of complete strangers from of tracks like ‘Hunger of the Pines’, and so the same as fellow man-with-guitar-type Ed core songwriting. As such, it’s a good album, entirely different walks of life - my sister has one gets the sense they have the potential for Sheeran, and has instead kept this album a though hardly anything groundbreaking. even had her stewarding friends come to vis- something great in their locker. very private and intimate affair indeed. it. I can’t promise every volunteering experi- Steven Paul Jess Mason Joe Wallace ence will be great, but it’s free, and if your tent doesn’t collapse then your doing okay. 20 Editor: Paulina Dregvaitetheboar.org [email protected] Twitter @BoarFilm FILM fb.com/groups/BoarFilm François Truffaut Remembered 30 Years On Tess Noonan takes a look back over Truffaut’s incredibly prolific career and personal history his year marks 30 years since French life and death – The Bride Wore Black, The close friend Henri Langlois. played by Truffaut himself, tells Alfonse that director François Truffaut passed Green Room. Truffaut dealt with many gen- Truffaut has influenced many contem- “films are more harmonious than life.” And away – he was 52 years old. Truffaut res - romance, historical and crime drama, porary filmmakers: Woody Allen, Quentin so to find a bit of harmony into ours, we’ll is known for being one of cinema’s comedy, sci-fi - and had a taste for novels, Tarantino, Martin Scorcese, but also Wes continue to watch his. Ttrailblazers, responsible for the growth and many of his films having a literary source. Anderson, James Gray, Noah Baumbach, development of the French New Wave; his But also for a more personal and uninhibit- Richard Ayoade, as well as French post-New first film The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents ed filmmaking infused with sincerity, which Wave independent cinema, namely Olivier Fell in love with Truffaut or Coups) swept away the critics (making him may be the roots of the artistic revolution he Assayas, Arnaud Desplechin, Christophe just discovered him? Tell us! one of the youngest recipients of the Best provoked. His characters, as Milos Forman Honoré, Valerie Donzelli. Tweet: @BoarFilm Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival) puts it, are a ‘rainbow of human feelings and In Day for Night, the director Ferrand, and the public, and brought to light a new attitudes’. talent. A unique spirit who lambasted post- In the midst of the diversity of his filmog- World War II French cinema, criticising its raphy, Truffaut also embedded pieces of his ‘tradition of the quality’, and later affirmed own biography, notably through the charac- that films ‘breathed throughout their flaws’. ter of Antoine Doinel played by Jean-Pierre One of the creators of the ‘auteur theory’, Léaud. Antoine Doinel is very much an alter Truffaut valued directors with distinctive ego figure, in which the director followed style. Directors who, throughout their body his life over a period of 20 years, showing us of work, exert a personal and unique world- a troubled childhood, passionate relation- view, which made him believe they were the ships, a difficult transition to adulthood, a true ‘authors’ of their films. rocky marriage, always with a mixture of drama, comedy and burlesque. François Truffaut embraced cinema in a variety of forms. An assiduous moviegoer in Truffaut even dabbled in poli- his early years (causing him to skip class), tics: he went to the streets to pro- he became a critic, writing for the Cahiers test when the Ministry of Culture du Cinéma and Arts Spectacles. His articles fired the head of the French Ciné- were incendiary, and Truffaut was known matèque for his unforgiving reviews and often, per- sonal attacks. But being a cinema lover, he did not In 25 years, Truffaut directed 21 films. To hesitate to praise the works of directors he honour his life and career the French Ci- admired, such as Jean Renoir, Alain Res- nématèque has devoted a large exhibit and nais and Alfred Hitchcock. The latter was a retrospective of the totality of his work. interviewed for nearly 12 hours in Univer- So what is special about Truffaut’s filmog- sal Studios, the interview becoming a book. raphy? Mainly how Truffaut delves into Truffaut was also a producer and screen- complex relationships: between children writer for his films, but also on the films of and the adult world in The 400 Blows, The others, namely Jean-Luc Godard’s Breath- Wild Child, Small Change; best friends in less, another pivotal film in the birth of the Jules and Jim; a married couple in Bed and French New Wave. Moreover, Truffaut even Board and The Mississippi Mermaid; unmar- dabbled in politics: he went to the streets to ried couples – Stolen Kisses, The Man Who protest when the Ministry of Culture fired Loved Women; a film crew - Day for Night; the head of the French Cinématèque and his » Photos: Above: Flickr/ Breve Storia del Cinema, Bottom: Flickr, it.wikipedia.org Editor’s Choice: Four Nouvelle Vague films that shaped cinema

Breathless (À bout de souffle) The 400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) Cléo From 5 to 7 (Cléo de 5 à 7) Hiroshima Mon Amour Jean Luc Godard, 1960 François Truffaut, 1959 Agnès Varda, 1962 Alain Resnais, 1959

Jean-Luc Godard’s debut film remains his The debut film of François Truffaut, and Cléo From 5 to 7 is a magnificent feminist Hiroshima My Amour is an impossible most influential and poignant up to this day. the beginning of a life-long creative collabo- masterpiece that follows two hours of Cléo’s love story, torn apart by the memory of war Starring the legendary Jean-Paul Belmondo ration with leading actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. life as she struggles with her identity, her lov- and loss. It is an intense documentation of and Jean Seberg as two young lovers, Breath- Written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy, the ers and her deminishing satisfaction from a private conversation between a Japanese less plays wtih cinematic conventions and film is about Antoine Doinel, who - as most her singing career. Agnès Varda (the only man and a French woman. The film con- tells a story of crime and love on the fringes young teenagers are - is misunderstood by female director of Nouvelle Vague) wanted trasts their different narrations, drawing a of society and adulthood. It’s unpolished, his parents and teachers alike. The 400 Blows to show the passage of time through a com- parallel between the woman’s experiences raw and unbrushed, depicting the lives of traces Antoine through the troubling hypro- pletely personal trajectory, and, indeed, she in France and the bombings of Hiroshima. everyday people. Breathless still feels fresh, crisy of the so-called ‘grown-up world’. succeeded. Intense, traumatic and desperately fragile, even after more than 50 years. the film served as a catalyst for the Nouvelle 21 theboar.org/Film | @BoarFilm | FILMtheboar.org 26 Gone Girl: fascinating and insidious From page to screen, Charlie Roberson delves into David Fincher’s latest dark thriller quite difficult. It’s built around misdirection Director: David Fincher and surprise so if you’re inclined to watch it (and you should be), I’d recommend avoid- Cast: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike ing the internet until you can get yourself to a cinema. It’s a film best enjoyed with as few Length: 149 minutes preconceptions as possible. This isn’t to say that Gone Girl is just a Country: USA parade of cheap shocks. In fact it imbeds its reveals in such a fascinating and insidious ’m getting a little concerned about Da- manner that you probably won’t realise or vid Fincher’s state of mind. He’s an un- won’t care that it’s a little bit silly at times; re- deniably talented director, but why does sist your urge to unpick the holes in its logic he keep making films about horrible and you’ll have a much better time. people?I After coming to prominence with a The story is divided into alternating seg- film about grisly serial killings, he’s gone on ments from Nick and Amy’s perspectives, to cover home invasions, fight clubs, angsty spreading screen time evenly between the Harvard students, and gruesome serial kill- two stars. It is a pretty devious structure that ings, but this time in Sweden. Now he’s back the film uses to great effect, never quite let- with a movie about domestic violence and ting you know who to believe, a dilemma suburban misery. Luckily, it’s pretty excellent. made harder by the fact that both leads deliv- Adapted from the novel of the same name, er stellar performances. » The mystery is on. Gone Girl is best enjoyed with few preconceptions Photo: Fox Gone Girl drops us into the lives of Nick Ben Affleck spends much of the film look- (Ben Affleck) and Amy Dunne (Rosamund ing like he would really rather be somewhere of her in Hollywood over the next few years. time. Returning collaborators Trent Reznor Pike), an unhappily married couple in sub- else. This doesn’t sound like a ringing en- The supporting cast is equally memorable and Atticus Ross turn in a great soundtrack urban Missouri. He runs a bar and she pays dorsement but it’s perfect for the world-wea- with the stand-out being, of all people, Tyler that manages to be hugely unsettling without for it with money from her parents’ ‘Amazing ry Nick. The role is a high-wire act between Perry. His sly defence lawyer only makes an ever sounding like it’s trying to be. Expect to Amy’ book series, which are essentially em- sympathy and disdain and Affleck delivers appearance in the film’s final act, but he ar- see this win big in technical categories when bellished biographies of their daughter’s life completely. This may finally be the perfor- rives with such delightful smarm that I kind the Oscars roll around next February. complete with overtones of disappointment. mance to silence the controversy over that of want to spend my entire word limit talking The film is at its best when it nails this On their fifth wedding anniversary Amy dis- upcoming film of his. about him. Neil Patrick Harris is less success- satire, openly skewering some of the most appears under suspicious circumstances and The only problem is that he has to share ful as Desi, a wealthy ex-boyfriend of Amy’s; unsavoury elements of our society. This in- Nick finds himself at the centre of a media the screen with Rosamund Pike who fre- it is fun to see him getting stuck into a dra- telligence raises Gone Girl above the level of storm that looks increasingly like a witch- quently threatens to steal the entire film with matic role but he feels a little underused. the simple thriller, although it packs in plenty hunt. some career-best acting. I found Amy to be Gone Girl is a handsome film, a film that of excitements too. With this, his tenth film, I’m not going to say any more for fear of weirdly passive at first, but as the film pro- is about as well made as they come. Finch- David Fincher proves himself again as one spoiling a twisty and very enjoyable story but gresses so does the impressive scenery-chew- er is on top directing form, keeping the pace of the most assured directors working today this makes talking about the bulk of the film ing from Pike. Expect to be seeing a lot more taught across the hefty 150 minute running and sets this film season off to a strong start. The Riot Club: Bullingdon bros for life Hannah Froggatt takes on this British thriller about inequality, priviledge and the posh able when things stop going their way. Even- Director: Lone Scherfig tually they have an epiphany: they are being persecuted by poor people, and this is the Cast: Max Irons, Sam Caflin cause of all their problems. These boys are over-dogs who think they Length: 107 minutes are underdogs and the club is a place for them to retreat into, away from a society that Country: UK no longer respects nobility or rank. The film is essentially the artful bursting of the bubble he Riot Club seems a difficult film which surrounds these men, or at least burst- to like. It’s dark, loud and brash, ing it temporarily, when they are suddenly and the constant motifs of violence thrust into an environment where wealth and destruction leave your stom- and an old boys’ connection won’t protect Tach in knots. The humour is cringe come- them. For instance, the film demonstrates dy, the drama is as grotesquely fascinating the Club’s sexist and racist attitudes but does as a slow-motion car crash, and the script’s not reflect them, and the boys’ prejudices are anti-elitist rhetoric makes you squirm even highlighted many times as being childishly more if you happen to know that the epony- out of touch and insufficient for negotiating mous club has a real-world counterpart and with real women. that Boris Johnson, David Cameron and sev- The film was adapted from Laura Wade’s » Sam Clafin’s Alistair proves not all of the upper-class know table manners Photo: UPI eral other prominent politicians were all in it. play, Posh, and its roots in theatre show very Watching The Riot Club is an uncomfortable close to the surface at various points. The by their aristocratic sense of entitlement as self-conscious references to the Crash. It’s experience from beginning to end, but that constrained setting is a dead giveaway, and they shout for better accommodation. Ryle entertaining, edge-of-your-seat and engag- doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch it. the sense of time also seems inherited from manifests Al’s repressed malfeasance so grad- ing throughout, but personally I feel it lacks The Riot Club is a kaleidoscopic insight the source material; the film goes by incred- ually that you barely notice, but he grows substance. Following these boys feels a little into the lives of ten obscenely privileged Ox- ibly quickly and much of it in real time, so progressively deranged, becoming more and voyeuristic, as if we’re supposed to take as ford scholars, bound together by member- it seems a lot shorter than its credited two more insistent that everyone must love him much pleasure as they do in the debauch- ship of the aristocratic ‘Riot Club’. Founded hours. The costumes are canny, though the as his behaviour gets increasingly repugnant. ery, and the film offers no solutions to the in the 1700s, the Riot Club is a remnant of boys’ identical blazers make them tough to It is at this point that the humour melts away problems it poses. The issues themselves feel the near-extinct social elite to which all of the tell apart, and the actors have to work that from the second act, and concentrates on like thrown shadows, almost cartoonishly boys belong, upholding the values of hedon- little bit harder to stand out in such a homog- delivering through Alistair its great political simple, and I can’t help thinking the over- ism, exclusiveness and the all-pervasive pow- enous social setting. Happily, the acting is beef. blown portrayal of the club undermines the er of money. But now they are independent excellent, with particular props going to Sam But is the whole as great as the sum of its insidiousness of privilege and the old boys’ young men, rife with all the frustrations and Claflin for his portrayal of Alistair Ryle. parts? You could call The Riot Club just a network in society today. That’s not to say it insecurities of any other students their age, Alistair doesn’t appear a villain at first. neat retelling of the old tale, class divisions isn’t good. See the film for the spectacle, the discovering that cash can’t eradicate every Meek and sheepish, we meet him in the com- cost lives, without much of a new spin ex- acting, the storytelling, or the suspense, just problem, which leaves them feeling vulner- pany of his overbearing parents, humiliated cept for heavy use of smartphones and some not for political commentary. theboar.org 22 Editor: Laura Primiceri [email protected] Twitter @BoarTelevision TV fb.com/groups/BoarTV Argentina reacts over the Top (Gear) Tim Arstall assesses whether or not the BBC show’s growing negative reputation is deserved s one of the BBC’s biggest television each presenter to attempt to paint as offen- peaceful country, there were no repercus- nocent, but the mentality of those wishing to series, with a weekly worldwide sive a slogan as possible on the others’ car: sions, but it strikes a suspicious parallel with tar his name with the same brush as the likes audience of around 350 million among those picked were “Man love rules the license plate for which the Argentinian of Nigel Farage, upsets me as a long term fan people in 170 different countries, Ok”, “Country and Western is rubbish” and government has now demanded an apology of the show. Ait’s not surprising that Top Gear’s quintes- “Nascar sucks”. Unsurprisingly, the residents from the BBC. One only needs to read Clarkson’s writing sentially and traditionally British brand of Alabama didn’t take kindly to these sen- Jeremy Clarkson, the face of the show, is in The Sunday Times to realise he is not the of humour causes offence on occasion. timents and as the crew pulled into a local never far from controversy having attract- mindless car-junkie he perpetuates himself In recent weeks, the show was hounded gas station, the owner took particular excep- ed widespread attention with various com- to be. He is in fact an incredibly intelligent out of Argentina after attention was drawn tion to their messages. After a few minutes, a ments, some more justifiably than others. and thoughtful man with an admittedly to a license plate on one of the cars used for truck full of men armed with bats pulled up His notorious feud with Piers Morgan, after questionable sense of humour. In this case it filming, which read ‘H982 FKL’ allegedly a and three of television’s biggest stars were be- the then-editor of The Mirror printed pic- is clear that Top Gear overstepped the mark reference to the Falklands war which took ing pelted with stones and had to run, possi- tures of him with an alleged mistress, means with their decision to poke fun at a war place in 1982. The plate sparked a mob to bly for their lives. It was an incident that fore- that Clarkson is a prime target for many me- which many Argentinians will actually re- form outside the crew’s hotel, pelting offi- shadowed the show’s future, but one dia publications, resulting in a lot member, but in general I think the show is cial cars with stones and prompting the BBC that went relatively unnoticed of unfair treatment. During a great achievement for Britain. The editing, to evacuate all three of its presenters. The at the time, since it oc- an appearance on The One cinematography and script writing are all ex- creative force behind Top Gear - producer curred before Richard Show, Clarkson voiced cellent: in an age of dumbed down television Andy Wilman and main presenter Jeremy Hammond’s 300 mph his support of a recent shows like The X-Factor, Top Gear addresses Clarkson- vehemently denied any intention- crash launched the strike, before adding big issues and educates, as can be seen with al joke, citing coincidence, but considering show into global tongue-in-cheek: the popular Botswana special, and the end- the show’s previous record with this kind notoriety. “but we have to bal- ing of the American adventure which saw the of humour, their word is hard to believe. In the Viet- ance it don’t we, team give their cars to people who had lost nam special too, because this is the their lives to Hurricane Katrina for no cost the punishment BBC: frankly I’d at all. Questions remain over where the show Top Gear vehemently denied any if one of the have them all shot”. will go from here, as even the most diehard intentional joke, responding to presenter’s mo- Clarkson’s profession fan would admit its glory days are past, espe- questions on the team recently being torcycles broke was entirely satirical, cially with mounting environmental and so- hounded out of Argentina. down was a re- and yet the tabloid cial concerns around high priced supercars. placement paint- media selectively ex- Ultimately Top Gear is far from the most ed in stars and cluded the lead up to his politically correct show on tv, and one that During a trip to America in 2007, the stripes blasting final remarks, starting a rightly has its critics, but I would stress three presenters caused controversy when a out Bruce Spring- misinformed witch hunt. more than anything that it has to be watched seemingly immature challenge quickly esca- steen’s ‘Born in the It would be excessive to say and should not be written off as a mind- lated into a serious incident. The aim was for USA’. In a relatively » Photo: BBC that Clarkson is entirely in- less exploration into bloke-ish mentality. Triad of scary TV

The dystopian end to Utopia

Bethan Smith commiserates the demise of Channel 4’s hit show » Photo: channel4

topia was a cinematic television launching on the channel throughout 2015.” ment interfere on the issue. The fanbase of I hope that the David Fincher-directed US event. It was critically lauded by Yet when you are given such a fan-favourite Utopia, small as it is, is as passionate as those remake does well, if only to take a kind of both critics and viewers alike. gem as Utopia, the excuse of “funding” seems of any of the other big hits like Sherlock or vengeance on Channel 4’s huge misjudge- Its beautiful cinematography – disappointingly hollow. I’ve read all sorts Doctor Who. ment. If the producers had any sense, it would acidicU traffic light colours – were instantly of wacky conspiracy theories for the “true” On no other TV programme could such probably survive well in an online-only for- recognisable. It created characters that were reason of Utopia’s demise, ranging from simple catchphrases: “Eat my chip”, “Quinoa – mat. After all, Ripper Street was resurrected Shakespearean in their intricate character- the recent Ebola outbreak being too close it’s a superfood” and “Where is Jessica Hyde?” on Amazon Instant Video after a passionate isation. The storyline was original, and its to home, to the upcoming general election. manage to catch on with such aplomb. It was petition from fans, and we can only tentative- central premise – how do we deal with over- The tangibly wonderful quality about these blessed with quality acting from some of the ly hope for the same for Utopia. population? – created one the most excit- speculations is that these conspiracy theories best actors and actresses in British television In a world where Mrs Brown’s Boys gets its ing, riveting and fresh dramas to be put on could have pretty legitimately been part of – standouts included Alexandra Roach’s por- own movie and primetime viewing slot, per- TV in decades. Thanks to a harrowing and trayal of Becky, a strong female lead who was haps we don’t deserve great television. Maybe frankly infamous scene, Utopia even man- brilliantly Welsh and fabulous at swearing, we are overpopulated. Maybe we should try to aged to make me frightened of spoons. And, l hope that in future the cancellation three things we most definitely need more of create a television version of Janus, where only inexplicably, Channel 4 chose to cancel it. of Utopia gets heralded as the Great in TV. The delicious character of Arby (Neil the populace of a certain breed of television Yes, Utopia is dead. It is the latest in a long Mistake of British television. Maskell) was one of the most finely crafted I get to survive and shows such as Tipping Point list of cult British television series’ to hit have ever seen on screen. Every cast member get culled, and thought-provoking, beautiful the producers’ rubbish bin. A lack of fund- was having a whale of a time, and every single and genuinely interesting TV dramas such ing seemed to be the excuse for executing aspect of the show – from the gorgeously odd as Utopia are allowed to live another day. one of the most exciting shows on televi- the storyline of Utopia, and the outrage is a soundtrack, the mind-bendingly brilliant sion, as Channel 4’s ambiguously worded type unique to the show. plotlines, to the unsettling camera angles and announcement revealed: “It’s always pain- I’ve seen about 40 different online pe- set design – was handled with loving care. Do you agree? Was the ful to say goodbye to shows we love, but titions for its revival already, the most suc- I hope that in future the cancellation of axing of Utopia a mistake? it’s a necessary part of being able to com- cessful of which is poorly spelt, and there has Utopia gets heralded as the Great Mistake of Tweet: @BoarTelevision mission new drama, a raft of which are been at least one attempt to make the govern- British television. Despite my reservations, 20 Editor: Gabriellatheboar.org Watt [email protected] Twitter @BoarGames GAMES fb.com/groups/BoarGames Our picks: creepiest videogame villains Three writers left the safety of their duvets just long enough to write about some of gaming’s most terrifying bad guys

Reece Goodall Luca Ostacchini Daniel Ewers

Chainsaw Man Psycho Mantis Scarecrow Resident Evil 4 Metal Gear Solid Batman: Arkham Asylum magine wandering around a dark, fore- t was so hard to pick from the great col- carecrow, A.K.A. Dr. Jonathan Crane, boding Spanish village, a single hand- lection of villains the Metal Gear series comes in second in my personal list of gun for company and hordes of villagers has to offer, but Psycho Mantis surely creepiest gaming villains, as he pro- taken over by parasitic organisms ren- wins out as the weirdest of the lot. vides one of the creepiest sequences Idering them highly invulnerable to pain and IAnyone who played Metal Gear Solid will SI’ve ever experienced within the superhero/ very murderous in intent. remember the horror of fighting this psychic action genre. To those who are unfamiliar Fair enough, you say, but add in this fellow boss. Capable of mind control, he’s terrifying with who the Scarecrow actually is within to the mix, and you’ve a different situation from his first appearance. With impossibly the Batman universe, Scarecrow is a villain entirely. Known as the Chainsaw Man, this skinny limbs, a gas-mask and questionable that utilises a fear-inducing gas to psycho- character has an increased temper and is very black attire, Mantis looks like something that logically weaken and disorientate his en- eager to put his weapon to use on the player crawled up out of your nightmares and ac- emies, something that Batman: Arkham Asy- to extreme graphic effect. His face is cloaked cidentally got crossed with a shady magazine lum expressed very well indeed. with a burlap sack, his bloodthirstiness is the from the nineties on the way. In Arkham Asylum, the boss battle against stuff of nightmares and the mere sound of a But his “psychic” powers were what made the Scarecrow occurs within a creepy setting chainsaw revving into life is enough to make him a truly creepy and memorable villain. that just keeps getting creepier as Batman gamers around the world soil themselves. His memory-card-reading trick was incred- begins to hallucinate and reality itself be- Although not the strongest enemy in the ibly startling and horribly sinister - a floating gins to shift and warp until you find yourself game, there is a reason that Leon Kennedy’s fetishist is probably the last person you want fighting a thirty-foot, diabolical and creepy- head being in the process of leaving his body telling you how much you’ve been playing as-hell Scarecrow in the midst of a swirling is one of the defining images of this game, Super Mario Sunshine. The ability to dis- nightmare-world. I remember jumping and and that is down to this very terrifying vil- rupt your game with ominous black screens sneaking my way through the environment, lain. You can outrun him for now, but sooner reading only ‘HIDEO’ leaves you helpless. heart pounding in my chest, afraid that he or later, he’ll get you. He’s also got an impressive but scary ability would turn around and violently kill me. to make your controller leap up off what- Those piercing orange eyes; that tattered, Pyramid Head ever surface you happened to leave it on. hooded costume and the hands made of sy- Silent Hill Fantastically creepy, Mantis played with the ringes are why he is number two on my list. boundaries of video games as an art form in Pyramid Head stalks the streets of Silent Hill a way that hadn’t been done before and really Slenderman and the protagonist James Sutherland, a fig- hasn’t been replicated since. In doing so he Slender ure of intrigue and immense mystery and, became something bigger than just another later on, one of dread and fear. on-screen boss. Truly one of the greatest – The central villain in Slender, the elusive and Equipped with a bloody great knife, this and creepiest – villains of all time. mysterious Slenderman, is the downright and the unflinching harshness of his angular scariest villain that I have ever encountered mask suggest a cruelness to him – a reputa- Liquid Snake’s Arm in gaming. Hands down, no contest: I hate tion rightly earned due to his role as execu- Metal Gear Solid 2 & 4 that guy. tioner and punisher. I remember one night five of us staying He is seen engaging with the perturbing Liquid Snake - fondly remembered as Solid round my house, turning off all the lights, spirit of the town, psychologically torturing Snake’s blonde bombshell twin who stole cranking the volume up as high as it could our hero and the residents – in one scene, he some sunglasses and ‘played us like a damn go and loading Slender for the first time. The is seen raping a pair of mannequin monsters fiddle’ - was fairly creepy in Metal Gear Solid. ominous booming of the soundtrack, the to punish them. His zombie-like ability to survive seemingly constant, unrelenting sensation that some- As a manifestation of Sutherland’s desire anything was unnerving. Nothing seemed to one was breathing gently down the back of for punishment for the murder of his wife, get rid of this man. Over the course of the our necks wherever we went in that dense he is inescapable, his twisted actions echo- game he’s punched from the top of a giant forested setting and the sheer, heart-bursting ing Sutherland’s dark feelings from the past – robot, blown up in a helicopter and hit with mix of terror and panic when Slenderman everyone could have their own Pyramid stinger missiles and still refuses to die. himself eventually emerged from the shad- Head, pursu- ing them to torture Liquid is like an odd fusion of The Walking ows was insurmountable. their guilt for past sins. Dead and America’s Next Top Model. Which There is something incredibly simple but is just as terrifying as it sounds. But really, incredibly primal about the game, playing Liquid Snake is never creepier than when he upon our own survival instincts to instil ter- finally dies, only to reappear as nothing but ror within anyone who plays it (or maybe I’m an arm. just a wimp, who knows?). Most arms are fairly amenable to just stay- My record number of collected pages ing dead and decomposing nicely. Liquid within that game is seven of eight, and I do Snake’s arm, true to form, just won’t stay not plan on attempting to better that anytime dead. Only hours into MGS2 it turns up at- soon, as I don’t think my nerves could take tached to Revolver Ocelot and proceeds to searching that forest for the final page, even terrorise everybody for two more games. for Halloween. The faceless, suit-wearing, It looks, as I’m sure is unsurprising given predatory, static-inducing, bone-chilling that it’s been dead for quite some time, re- monster that is Slenderman will always be pulsive, and in its spare time enjoys solilo- why, hands down, he is the creepiest charac- quising about the horrors of war and yelling ter in gaming. the word ‘brother’ in a British accent. If that doesn’t unnerve you, I’m unsure what will. Truly creepy.

Which villains do you » Photos: silenthill.wikia (Left), consider to be creepy? creepypasta.wikia (Right) Tell us your answers! Tweet: @BoarGames theboar.org/Games | @BoarGames | GAMES 29 21 theboar.org

Game over man, game over Luke Whitticase investigates whether Alien: Isolation provides the true xenomorph experience

he Alien franchise’s endeavours in throughout the game. work effectively as secondary adversaries. ment towards its weightless characters, all of the world of video games have been The environmental aesthetic is beautifully But there are also humans with disconnected whom lack either personality or identifiable met with varied responses over the reconstructed from references and concept AI running amok on the ship, most of whom traits. last decade. Spin-offs, crossovers arts of the original 1979 film, sticking closely are hostile and attack on sight. The ‘Isolation’ The voice work for both secondary and Tand canonical continuations of the existing to H. R. Giger’s rich visual themes and tex- of the title loses its gravity when that sense of minor characters are unbearably wooden, film franchise have all been produced in tures. The sound design is perfectly recreat- being alone is suspended for large stretches. especially when combined with dialogue many different forms. ed and the graphics boast incredible detail. that only consists of directives and exposi- Last year, Sega published Gearbox Soft- The ship’s resemblance to the Nostromo is tion. The game’s lack of general intrigue or ware’s critically panned Aliens: Colonial an intentional call back to fans to further the substance means that it grows wearier the Marines, a bug infested, poorly presented nostalgia factor. The moment you are pre- The story is at its heart a tired retread longer it goes on for, as Amanda’s own story and below rudimentary FPS that proved a sented with the motion tracker is the stuff of the plot of Alien, with its structure arc is sidelined for more filler, and missions commercial embarrassment to Sega. So they of dreams. The introduction of the Alien is only slightly rearranged in places that chiefly exist for the purposes of opening decided to reprioritise their marketing when a moody lead up, but the payoff is also the locked doors. it came to their next Alien project, seeking game’s first downfall. Besides atmosphere, Moreover, Alien: Isolation’s merciless diffi- to steer attention as far from its predecessor the original film’s tension also derived from culty, while challenging, can become frustrat- as possible with an entirely new outlook to editing, lighting and an obscuring of the The pace of the game is another serious ing between isolated save points (as welcome the IP. creature itself for a majority of the runtime. issue. The entire enterprise feels as though it as this feature is). Additional mechanics such Developed by The Creative Assembly (Of Thanks to the series’ cultural popularity was something designed for a much small- as crafting are useful when needed and the Total War fame), Alien: Isolation seeks to ask though, the Alien itself has lost a lot of its er experience. The effort of the plot being stealth elements, while creaky, work effec- why people enjoyed Alien to begin with. Go- mystery over time. Fans already know what stretched out like elastic over 15-20 hours by tively much of time and add a good deal of ing back to the original film for inspiration, to expect, and the uninitiated will find lit- the developer wears out the welcome of the tension. the focus of their attention was placed into tle to work with due to the game’s depend- experience. The story is at its heart a tired Although the trudging nature of the making the titular horror icon frightening ence on pre-existing knowledge for many retread of the plot of Alien, with its struc- game’s middle section lacks energy and bite, again. The story follows Amanda Ripley key elements of the universe. The AI’s stilt- ture only slightly rearranged in places. You there’s nothing quite like the experience of (daughter of Ellen Ripley) as she investigates ed movement through brightly light rooms get to visit some key locations from the film immersing yourself within the world of one the happenings aboard the Sevastopol, a only worsens the desensitisation to the beast. in certain missions later in the game. One of of science fiction’s greatest universes. As a tri- vessel that has come under attack by an al- Because an AI is all that it feels like at heart. which, while miraculous, breaks the narra- ple-A title, more ingenuity is sorely required. ien presence, while also trying to uncover Not a living, breathing figure that will invade tive structure and immersion to do so, going There are moments of promise here, but not the mystery of her mother’s disappearance your nightmares. out of its way to further fan bait. enough to sustain an entire experience. 15 years ago. Placing atmosphere ahead of The only things creepier than the Alien By going through the motions of estab- combat mechanics, the game relies on stealth are the ‘Working Joes’; Androids of wonder- lished franchise elements, the game offers up » Photos: alienisolation.com, (Top) aus- and survival elements as you are procedur- fully disturbing visual and audible design, little to nothing new in terms of story, and gamers.com, wikimedia.org, youtube.com ally stalked and hunted by a single Alien with rubber skin and piercing eyes, which the whole thing lacks any emotional invest- (Bottom) The best of GAMES Games Editor Gabriella Watt shares what From gorgeous graphics to the death Is Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! just an the fifteen minutes of demo promised for the throes of Pro Evo, Luke Brown argues why expensive extension of Borderlands 2? Dan second remastered Kingdom Hearts collec- FIFA 15 should be your next gaming pur- Ewers says it has more to offer in this first online tion. chase. impressions review. 24 Editor: Samantha Hoppstheboar.org [email protected] Twitter @BoarTravel TRAVEL fb.com/groups/BoarTravel

Happy days, expensive Backstreet Barcelona nights: afternoon tea Alice Cornelius tells us how to do Barcelona right, getting lost in alleys and backstreets Samantha Hopps

elcome to Travel’s new column! Each issue we will be telling you about something amazing you can do on a day off, close Wto campus, that costs less than a night out. For my friend’s birthday, I decided that I wanted to do something a little more orig- inal than the standard toiletries/chocolate/ clothes present that I would normally stick to, with very little long-lasting appreciation from the receiver of the gift. I decided it would be great to take her out and actually do something, so that I could create a memory for her rather than a gift that would get used up or forgotten. I ended up taking her out for afternoon tea at a hotel called Coombe Abbey Hotel, on the outskirts of Coventry. The food was incredible, the hotel and its his review of Barcelona is not a typ- Europe’s more traditional buildings cannot fantastic places. I found that avoiding Eng- surrounding gardens were breathtaking, and ical one, as I am hoping to include match. lish menus and struggling with Catalan was the afternoon only cost £17.75. as little of the stereotypical Barcelona However, the backstreet tour of Barcelo- the best way to avoid overpriced, bad food. The hotel is your typical grand hotel (I say tourist attractions as possible. The na calls for something a bit off of the beaten The best tapas can be found in tiny restau- typical, but I’ve never actually stayed in a ho- Tmore hard-core tourists amongst the Boar’s track. I stumbled upon the Parc de la Ciuta- rants, filled with old men playing cards and tel as grand as this one), suited perfectly to audience may read this and shake their head- della by chance and thought I had entered drinking bottles of rioja, at half the price of weddings and gentile afternoon tea, but the and whilst the Gaudi attractions and muse- an offshoot of Versailles. Filled with locals anywhere near the beach or on La Rambla. décor has been given a medieval twist, so ums of Barcelona are exquisite and the city playing ping pong and picnicking in the sun, I avoided the huge and expensive clubs of there’s nothing generic about the place. has a rich history, the real Barcelona is nes- its proximity to the beach makes it an ideal Barcelona in favour of a bar crawl instead. We had our afternoon tea in a bright, airy tled in the maze of its backstreets: alleyways detour after a bit of swimming. I loved the cheap drinks at Oddland, which conservatory, with various cakes, scones and with intriguing names like Carrer del Tigre can be found at Joaquin Costa, 52 Ciutat sandwiches beautifully presented on a three- (Tiger Street), hidden cafes, gorgeous mar- Vella. The owner is a Charlie Sheen looka- tiered glass platter, and a teapot each of pep- kets and striking street art. I would recom- like who for some reason or another ended permint tea. mend a Catalan dictionary and a good map, I would recommend a Catalan up giving my boyfriend a cigar. The women’s because if you are doing Barcelona right, you dictionary and a good map, because toilet is also one of the most beautiful, kitsch should be getting very lost. if you are doing Barcelona right, you places I have ever been. To start on a negative note, Barcelona’s ac- should be getting very lost I would recommend researching if there commodation is notoriously expensive. My are any festivals underway during your visit boyfriend and I agreed that we would go for to Barcelona. My trip coincided with the col- the most basic hotel possible as we would be ourful and obscure La Merce, a celebration of out exploring for the majority of the day. Un- The park is home to a stunning fountain the Virgin of Grace whom in 1687 delivered fortunately, I learnt the hard way that cheap designed by Josep Fontserè, with additions the city from a plague of locusts. I was con- hotels in central Barcelona are absolutely dis- from his student at the time, Gaudi, and the stantly stumbling upon parts of the festival, gusting. Let’s just say that our stay at the hotel fabulous Barcelona Zoo, which prides itself including a Concert of Asian Music and a Pension Miami near the Metro stop Univer- on its commitment to conservation and re- mile long wine tasting festival. sitat ended up in me having a pretty nasty search. Built in the late 19th century, the zoo This city is what you make of it, and I be- allergic reaction to bed bugs. Ironically, the is filled with old architecture, and a wide lieve that every person’s visit should be com- hotel was on the Carrer de la Verge as I was array of animals in fantastic enclosures. It pletely unique – enjoy! on the verge of tears after a few nights there. was refreshing to see commitment to animal The staff were lovely, the atmosphere was I would recommend either finding a welfare in Barcelona, which until recently » The view from Parc Guell, Gaudi’s mosa- laid-back and friendly, so that overall it was a cheaper hotel in the suburbs and buying a was infamous for the wild animals on sale in ics, a Barcelona sunset. Photos: Samantha brilliant afternoon out. At a cost of £17.75 per metro pass, or investing in a nice hostel near market stalls on La Rambla. Hopps person, this easily beats a night out for price, the beach. Pension Miami’s one positive fea- If you’re not going to Barcelona with the and it’s something very different. ture was its location- the intricate backstreets primary aim of eating and drinking to excess, While this isn’t something you’d do every to the left of the famous La Rambla. you have got your priorities wrong. Avoid Have you sauntered off the weekend, it would certainly make for a great Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia Basilica, the fa- eating anywhere remotely touristy- the best beaten tourist track recently? afternoon of procrastination and would help mous cathedral in South West Barcelona, bars and restaurants are in the back streets, Tweet: @BoarTravel you get away from the hustle and bustle of boasts a level of ethereal beauty that many of and with a little exploring you can find some university life. The website for this hotel is www.coombe- abbey.com and their phone number for af- ternoon tea reservations is 02476450450. Alternatively, if you fancy popping out for afternoon tea and are more Leamington-in- clined, Vinteas on Park Street does an after- noon tea lay-up for £13.50 and the Mallory Court Hotel on Harbury Lane also does one for £12.50. Personally, I think the beautiful and se- cluded surroundings of Coombe Abbey are worth the extra few pounds, but it really de- pends on the experience you’re going for.

If you have a suggestion for a great student day out that costs less than a night out, and would like to see your name in the Boar, email [email protected] with your idea. » Try exploring Barcelona’s backstreet markets. Photo: Maurizio Costanzo / Flickr » Photo: Coombe Abbey Hotel theboar.org/Travel | @BoarTravel | TRAVEL 31 » Photos: Didier Baertschiger / Flickr (top); Henry Mühlpford / CERN Flickr (embedded)

How to do Geneva on the cheap Geneva is notoriously expensive. Julia Wessels tells us how not to break the bank while visiting

eneva is renowned for being ex- £250 can get you a comfortable double bed- did need to part with some in order to eat. be a bit costly, especially if I wanted to go on a pensive ,and has one of the high- room with ensuite bathroom for four nights, There are innumerable restaurants in Ge- tour, but I was very surprised to discover that est living costs in the world. A and this was the price for two people. neva but many did require a sum of money everything was completely free of charge. 2012 survey carried out by The There are Ibis hotels which are more cen- which did not even seem legal to me. Luckily This meant that together with my transport GGuardian listed Geneva as the fifth most ex- trally located within Geneva, but you essen- I found some nutritious and tasty food for card, I did not need to dig into my bag and pensive city for ex-pats. tially pay almost double just for the so-called reasonable prices after a bit of research. retrieve my purse at any point. However, this startling statistic should not luxury of not taking the tram for 15 short Chez Ma Cousine is a charming, small St.Pierre Cathedral is also an absolute put you off visiting the beautiful Swiss city minutes to the city center from Petit Lancy. chicken restaurant with a traditional, wel- must see; aside from the stunning architec- on holiday. It is possible to go there and not If you prefer hostels, there are some in Ge- coming atmosphere. Here you can enjoy half ture there is an impressive and engaging ar- bankrupt yourself in the process, or pawn off neva such as the Youth Hostel Geneva where a roasted chicken with potato wedges and chaeological site under the cathedral. half your belongings. I recently visited Gene- you can stay in dormitories of six people salad for 15 CHF (Swiss Francs), and drinks va and carried out some research beforehand with a shared bathroom, or a private double prices start at four CHF. The food is truly The high cost associated with Geneva into how to make it affordable, but online I bedroom if you manage to book in advance. delicious and if roast chicken doesn’t tickle definitely affects the levels of tourism was met with a resounding and disconcerting Prices start at £20 per person per night and the taste buds, they also have a wonderful in the city, but these costs are often ‘you can’t,’ and ‘go to McDonald’s.’ r e a c h about £40. This may be cheaper chicken soup which was a welcome treat at misconstrued If I had gone to McDonald’s it would have if there is a larger group of you the end of a busy day. Chez Ma Cousine been a massive waste of time, money and and it is also a way to keep Ge- has three restaurants in Geneva culture. Many of the popular destinations neva very affordable! and it is not only a para- The archaeological site was discovered in around the world are swamped with tourists, How much do you dise for tourists, but 1976 and contains the ruins and remains of particularly in the high season, and this is need to pay for also for the locals churches which occupied the site before the where Geneva scores some points. transport? Now, who clearly rec- current cathedral, as well as mosaics, wells Whilst there are many culturally signif- this is a win- ogniSe first-rate and even skeletal remains. As an Ancient icant and unique sights to be seen, you are ning area food at a good History student I may be slightly biased when never going to encounter many tour groups for Gene- price! I sing the praises of the archaeological site, with camera flashes blinding you from every va. Why? Another but it truly was a highlight of my trip and led angle. Transport f or t u n at e to a few awestruck moments! I hear of people going to Vienna, Prague is com- discovery Admission for students is a bargain at four and Berlin, but rarely ever to Geneva and this pletely was the CHF (half the normal adult admission) and seems a big shame. The high cost associated free for all M a n o r you are provided with a very illuminating with Geneva definitely affects the levels of t h o s e buffet audio guide, available in a range of languag- tourism in the city, but these costs are often stay- restau- es. From the cathedral you can walk up the misconstrued and should not be the factor ing in rant, winding tower and be met by unparalleled that stops you from visiting. hotels located views of Geneva – if you are lucky enough to You can eat, sleep and travel for reason- in the on the go on a day with clear skies then this really is able, affordable prices, and I know because city; on check-in you are given a transport top floor of the Manor Department store worth the four CHF. that is exactly what I did when I was there card which allows you limitless travel on the near Gare Cornavin train station. The res- Horologists can spend hours in the Patek this August. trams, buses and even boats across Lake Ge- taurant exceeded my expectations and led to Phillipe Museum, or alternatively at the neva for the duration of your stay. me going back several times! Swatch exhibition located in the Cite Du This is a lifeline when it comes to saving There is a vast selection for you to choose Temps building. Transport is completely free for all money and I am praying that more cities will from which includes pizza, meat, fish, pas- It is also possible to visit the United Nations those staying in hotels in the city; a transport card allows limitless travel follow Geneva’s example. The transport sys- ta, vegetarian dishes and even quiche. The office in the Palais des Nations – admission is tem itself is very efficient, clean and easy to drinks are a delightful treat and I would 10 CHF for university students and you are follow and as someone who can sometimes particularly recommend their fresh fruit taken on a guided tour lasting an hour. You find herself more than a tiny bit lost, this is smoothies, whilst those with a sweet tooth are allowed to take as many photographs as In terms of accommodation, there are actually a big statement. will not be disappointed by their mouthwa- you like and can ask any question that pops many hotels in Geneva but most are not The cherry on top is the transport ticket tering dessert selection. into your mind. within a normal student budget, and some of you can collect in the baggage reclaim area I have so far mentioned everything but You are also provided with a pretty cool those boasting hefty prices don’t look much of Geneva Airport, which allows you 80 sightseeing, the all-important pastime of a identity card, which you can take away and better than my grandmother’s old bedroom, minutes of travel, free of charge, and this tourist. One of the biggest attractions in Ge- keep as a souvenir. which isn’t exactly a great selling point for a will swiftly take you to your hotel. What was neva is of course CERN. To go on a guided Geneva is a lovely city and, contrary to its 20-year-old. Ibis hotels are a cheaper option the cost of travel in Geneva during my stay? tour, it is integral to book far in advance to reputation, you can easily explore it on a stu- and they are also clean and modern. I would I’m proud to say that not even a single Swiss ward off disappointment, although there are dent budget. I have very fond memories of particularly recommend the Ibis in the Petit Franc was sacrificed. two permanent exhibitions you can walk into my time there this summer and I implore you Lancy area of Geneva; the tram station is on On the topic of sacrificing some Swiss without pre-booking tickets. to go and experience the wonders the city has the doorstep and the prices were reasonable. Francs, unfortunately, but not surprisingly, I Initially I thought that visiting CERN may to offer you. theboar.org 26 Editor: Ife Akinroyeje [email protected] Twitter @boarphotography PHOTOGRAPHYfb.com/TheBoarPhotography

WINNER: Pyramid to clear your soul from anger (Salkantay Mountain, Peru). Pavel Baskakov

2 1 To see images in higher resolution, check out our Flickr: @boarphotography 27 Features theboar.org/Photography | PHOTOGRAPHYtheboar.org 33 To see the entries which didn’t make the paper and to get involved with the photog- raphy section check out on Facebook: Theme: Exploration @TheBoarPhotography

5

3 6

4 Here are the top photographs from our recent competition which focused on the theme ‘Exploration’. 1. Untitled Amber Paterson 5. The one with the man on 2. Iceland Crystal Yuen the boat Scarlett Mansfield 3. Sri Lanka Crystal Yuen 6. Toyko Crystal Yuen 4. The sunse. Scarlett Mansfield 7. Untitled Victoria Botella Mansfield 7 theboar.org/Sports | @BoarSports | SPORTS 36 28 theboar.org Absolute Boarginners: a surprisingly good Thai-me Joe Baker isn’t exactly your average Thai boxer. But he doesn’t let that hold him back from enjoying the club here we were, gathered on ing last carried out proper exercise the exercise mats with no when Tony Blair was still prime idea what was about to hap- minister, I was slightly nervous Tpen. Well, I had no idea at least! As about what to expect in the Thai soon as I’d entered the Thai Box- Boxing taster. Matters weren’t ing taster session I realised I was helped when I noticed how incred- a full head shorter than everyone ibly muscular some of the other else, wearing embarrassingly dis- new boxers already were. used shorts and the apprehensive It’s a testament to how welcom- expression of someone who’s never ing and friendly the exec are that I hit anyone before in his life but has was quickly made to feel at home now turned up for an hour of box- despite my nerves. After a warm- ing training. up that already had my face red- Thing is, I’ve always thought I’m dening to ripe tomato levels, the much more a lover than a fighter, club coach gave us a demonstra- although lover is probably still the tion of a kick before we were paired wrong word. I essentially mean a up with another person to replicate person who responds to a fight at it with pads. Instead of merely Smack by running away and buy- watching new members, the sea- ing a kebab. soned Thai Boxers circulated the room, showing club freshers how “One of the most pleasant to improve their stance and make surprises I’ve had at university their kicks much stronger. Equal- in a long time.” ly, they kept a keen eye on safety, making sure that the person hold- ing the pads was doing it correctly. Two of the lovely individuals I Two weeks later, and I’m now spoke to were the club’s President signed up to a weekly Thai Boxing Ian and Team Captain Mo, the beginner’s Bootcamp session, at latter of whom is in charge of the which I learn and try out the ba- Bootcamp training sessions I’ve sic techniques of the sport. I’m the since enrolled in. Both of them proud owner of a society t-shirt seem very polite considering that with Thai Boxing Club embla- they could by now probably kill zoned on the back, which I wear you with one well-aimed punch to as I parade around our student the jugular. With their guidance, house. How did this happen? by the time we moved on to add You see, before Thai Boxing, punches and a left hook to precede martial arts had never been some- the kick, I was beginning to really thing I thought I could get into, enjoy trying to nail my technique, and not just because I’ve always although odds are from an out- believed that in most fights my sider’s perspective I looked less puny body renders me a pacifist like Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon by design, but also because I’m a and more like a middle-aged man colossal wimp. These facts meant, kicking his broken down car on the while other kids on the playground hard shoulder of the M1. bragged about karate lessons, I was If only my body had been pro- doing most of my kicking and grammed to accept the level of punching from behind a joy pad punishment all this kicking and in the world of video games, which punching was doing to it. Some- has left me with a body type that thing all potential Thai Boxers I would describe, in a word, as should know is that there is a nice “podgy”. way and an honest way to explain This is why it’s so oddly brilliant how you’ll feel after a session. to reveal, in what I hope will be- The nice way is that it’s a fantastic come a regular Absolute Boargin- workout that you can really feel ners trend, that Thai Boxing may exercising all of the parts of your well be one of the most pleasant body at once. The honest way is surprises I’ve had at University in a that, even in short stints, it will long time. I think it’s because it so completely push you to your lim- aptly fulfilled the Sports Fair Sales its until oxygen is about as foreign Patter you hear during that open- to your blood cells as a nice pint of ing fortnight at Warwick, that “give staropramen is to a Pop! circle. By » The Thai Boxing Club, looking prepared for both business and pleasure Photos: Warwick Thai Boxing the end of the first taster session, a brief look in a mirror at my sweaty, they don’t just want you to come been able to attend one of these stridently as I have with Thai Box- “Even if my punches aren’t destroyed body confirmed that it and do the same thing every week, nights out yet, but they range from ing. The whole thing just seemed the strongest... it’s pretty was the worst I’ve looked at uni- but actively want to see you im- circling to club meals to what has the opposite of what I would want empowering stuff” versity. prove so that by the end of the year been described on their Thai Box- to spend an hour every Sunday do- But as hard as it can be, the few you might be engaging in actual ing webpage by one exec member ing, and now my eyes have been sessions I’ve been to have proven fights and competitions (although as “our legendary night of inita- opened which, I suppose, is what it a try, you might really like it” at- that being able to hit the hardest for now the pads will suit me just tiations”. If the club are anything Boarginners is all about. titude that as freshers we all turn and be the strongest really have fine). There’s certainly more than like as charming as they are in the It’s been a complete validation our nose up at. nothing to do with how much fun enough opportunities to practice; training room, I’ll definitely be that trying something new needn’t As a third year, I was even more you can have participating in Thai Training sessions ranging from be a terrifying first step, but as sim- sceptical, something which never Boxing. I’ve hardly been able to fitness to technique to full blown “Numerous socials... range ple as going to a taster and seeing deterred Thomas Bridgland, Thai find a better way to destress after a sparring for more advanced mem- from circling to club meals what you think. In the case of Thai Boxing’s kit secretary, from trying hard week of not doing my reading bers take place five days a week, to a ‘legendary night of Boxing, I thought it was bloody to get me to come along. And as than punching the stupid out of a with an intuitive and functional initiations’.” brilliant. smug as I know he’s going to be poor inanimate leather pad. Even booking system having been set up So next year (or even sooner) while reading this, I couldn’t be if my punches aren’t the strongest online for members to pay a small perhaps you too could be nervous- happier he persevered. You win and my technique isn’t there yet, fee (only £2-3) for sessions in ad- ly standing on an exercise mat, in Thomas, now go back to marginal- it’s pretty empowering stuff. vance. sticking around to find out why. terrible shorts and with a slightly ly beating my essay scores. Not only this, but it’s always But it’s not all serious boxing I’ve been lucky enough to get worried expression on your face. Needless to say, having been great to see a club who are genu- business; there are numerous so- involved in some great things at But you should definitely go for it, more the receiver of punches than inely passionate about the sport cials. Unfortunately, due to par- university, but rarely have I ven- because post-university you might anything else as a child, and hav- they are teaching, to the extent that ticularly dweeby reasons I haven’t tured into unknown territory as not get the chance! theboar.org/Sports | @BoarSports | SPORTS 35 29 theboar.org Feminism, Warwick TV, and hopes for the season Chloe Wynne interviews Liam O’Neill, captain of the Warwick Rugby League team he Warwick Rugby League ple first come to university they matches in my local area. The Rugby League. We would have team is getting used to the want to push the boundaries, as Ben Flower incident is disgust- gone all season unbeaten had it not taste of success. Last year, the they are essentially unrestricted. ing, though. As a Wigan fan I was been for injuries. Tteam won each one of their home Sports clubs allow you to play this heart-broken that we ultimately B: Any memorable matches? matches, an incredible feat which out. lost the match because of it. What L O’N: Absolutely. The semi-fi- eventually saw them crowned the B: As social secretary of the club he did was unforgiveable, but he’s nal of the cup against Leicester was winners of their BUCS league. And last year, just how rowdy do your receiving a deserved punishment. a very, very tight game. We won it this year, the club hope to establish socials get? B: Away from issues and onto with a full length of the field try a second team that plays consist- L O’N: On my election I actually success, there seems to be an ac- from Robin Dines. It was sublime. ently. said that I would ease down the so- tive drive for publicity and pro- Unfortunately, I don’t remember In the light of such success, and cials. The focus of many of games motion on behalf of your club this that much because I was uncon- in the wake of both rugby league can be aimed at enforcing a hierar- year with advertisements around scious after a knock from another and student rugby making more chy of existing members above the campus and a collaboration with player! news headlines than usual (and not fresh. That’s not something that’s Warwick TV underway. What has B: What are your plans for the for particularly good reasons), now desirable at all. Engendering a spurred this on? club this year? seemed a very interesting point at team spirit is crucial for a success- L O’N: Well, we had a hugely L O’N: We’d like to consolidate which to interview Liam O’Neill, ful club, after all. successful season last year, even our position in this league; we do captain of the Warwick team. B: Would you say your boys are being nominated for club of the deserve to be here. We have no It was on this note that our inter- feminists? year; it was the first time we were chance of winning the league, but view began, as I asked Liam what L O’N: I would like to think that promoted, we only lost two games can give it a good go and aim to he made of the recent disbandment none of our members are sexist. all season, and got to the final win half of our games. My real goal of the rugby team at the London We don’t buy into misog- of the cup for the first time for the season is to set up a second School of Economics (LSE), for yny. We’re linked to ever. So, we really need team that consistently plays games. handing out offensive promotional two female clubs a drive to get our B: Have the Warwick Sport price material. with both wom- name up while increases affected your club? en’s rugby union we’re on this L O’N: I’d like to think that it Boar Sport: As President of a and aerobics. high of the suc- hasn’t affected us too much, but university rugby club, what did you There isn’t a cess. that would be a lie. It has been ex- make of the recent scandal involv- female league B: That plained a million and one times but ing LSE’s union club, whereby they club unfortu- sounds like a it’s difficult to justify the increase. handed out misogynistic leaflets to nately, as the lot of victory We’ve had around a 57 percent re- freshers? interest isn’t for one club. duction in sign-ups compared to Liam O’Neill: It’s clearly out of there. But I’d L O’N: In last year. One reason for this is the place. I’d really like to feel that my like to think if our histo- increase, and another is the system club wouldn’t ever do that; they’re there was a fe- ry we have at the sports fair whereby simi- better than that. In any modern so- male version never been lar clubs were grouped together, ciety there’s no place for misogyny of our club we promoted which placed us in between union or sexism of any sort. I don’t know would work or finished and American football and thus what they were thinking; they de- with them. above fourth detracted potential interested play- serve the disbandment. B: Skipping in a league. ers. B: Why do you think that this ahead to wider Last year, B: Finally, where I’m from kind of behaviour, as well as a large rugby issues, we won by (Wigan), rugby league dominates, drinking culture, is closely affiliat- this time with a landslide. but down in Warwick ‘rugby’ is ed with rugby clubs? violence, what We had a assumed to be union. How would L O’N: It’s just that with rugby do you make of good group you sum it up? it gets publicised more, as squads the recent on- of lads, re- L O’N: 13-a-side. It’s much clean- may be more generally extreme pitch incident tained the er and quicker because of the ab- in their behaviour. You wouldn’t involving Ben nucleus of the sence of rucks and mauls. Every- expect an ultimate frisbee team Flower attacking team, and had one is involved in the game a lot getting too rowdy, I guess. There’s Lance Hohaia? a fantastic coach more, including centres and wing- a deep underlying drinking cul- L O’N: It’s not in Troy Perkins. ers. There’s much less emphasis on ture, and it’s more ardent within an isolated incident. There were three star the kicking, and more on the run- clubs, such as rugby union, league Rugby league is a players in David O’Connor, ning. It’s better. and football. You tend to find that very aggressive sport, James Roberts and Rhys sports people have an early con- like many impact Wyles. This came together fidence that can transpire to yob- sports. Fights were a for one season, and it was » Photo: Warwick Rugby League bishness at times. Also, when peo- weekly occurrence in the pinnacle of Warwick Warwick Relays: the perfect Halloween hangover cure Do you want to get your November off to a healthy start? Warren Muggleton recommends Warwick Relays o you see yourself as a bit of 3.3km course around the Cryfield Vacharopoulos. sale to raise money for Sports 4 On Saturday 8 November, the a Mo Farah? Do you have pitches. The course is multi-ter- With three days until the big Life, a charity which gives aid to Leamington leg of the Birmingham decent stamina levels? And, rain, covering grass, woodchip and day, there is still time to enter. You disadvantaged children and young and District Cross Country League Dmost importantly, do you love run- dirt tracks. can enter the event online, and it adults in Birmingham. If you take takes place, whilst on the same day ning off-road? If your answer is a Men’s and mixed teams can enter costs only £3 per member. So buy part, you are not only helping the Athletics club are also sending resounding ‘Yes!’ to all of these four people whilst women’s teams one less drink at the Flirt Hallow- yourself but you are also helping a team to the Leicester Relays. questions, then you may well be in- can enter three. In each event, team een Ball and you’ve got yourself the people in your local area, as well terested in taking part in the forth- members will take on the tough perfect hangover cure! as getting some delicious carbs to “There are some big events on coming Warwick Relays event. course one-by-one, giving the There’s surely no better way to help you recover! competition a team element. ditch that Halloween hangover The great thing about the War- the Athletics club calendar” The fastest team from each event than to stagger around the Cryfield wick Relays this week is the fact “The Warwick Relays offers will win medals, as well as the cov- fields- it’ll do you good. that anyone can compete. Whether a great opportunity to run as eted Warwick Relays Trophy. There If you don’t sign up online, and you start every day with a casual There’s still time to get involved part of a team” will also be medals for the fastest yet you still wake up with the sud- seven mile jog to Leamington with the club, and with the strong non-athletic teams, in recognition den urge to run on Saturday morn- Spa or find walking to lectures is social aspect of the Warwick Relays The Warwick Relays is an an- of those who are having a go. ing, registrations will be open at enough, Warwick Relays will be a event, there really isn’t a better time nual race set up by the Athletics “The Warwick Relays offers a the Cryfield Sports Pavilion from fantastic event to get rid of the au- to get involved. & Cross Country Club and will be great opportunity to run as part 12.30pm to 1.30pm. The relays will tumn blues as the cold kicks in. So, with the Athletics club run- taking place this year on the Cry- of a team, in a competitive atmos- kick off at 2pm, followed by prize The event isn’t the only fixture ning strong, come along with your field Sports Pavilion on Saturday 1 phere whilst at the same time get- giving at 4pm. on the Athletics club calendar, and mates to the Warwick Relays this November. You can enter as a team ting fit!” says Athletics & Cross After the medals and trophies there’s some big events on the hori- Saturday for an active start to the for the relay race which covers a Country club president Georges are handed out, there will be a cake zon very soon. winter! theboar.org 32 Sponsored by Editor: Luke Brown [email protected] Twitter @BoarSport SPORT fb.com/groups/BoarSport

Life in the lower leagues with Leamington Luke Brown attempts to persuade you to give a Leamington FC game a go. For a fiver, what’s not to love?

efore last Saturday, I think the can expect a fifteen minutes queue. from Steptoe and Son if any of you throughout, with one particu- Leamington that I enjoy the most furthest afield I’d ever ven- But, just in case that price is putting were forced to watch that when you lar pocket of fans singing loudly is how close you feel to the club. tured in Leamington was to you off- you cautious student budg- were a kid, sat silently for most of though the duration of the sec- You develop a connection with the Bthe massive Morrisons superstore eter, you- the club also provides the game, barking orders only spo- ond-half, managing to quieten the other fans and the actual team and on Old Warwick Road (about a two free park and ride bus services radically and randomly. Holleran Stockport support who had started management that I just don’t think quarter of an hour’s drive from the from Leamington train station. In- on the other hand never stood still, the afternoon in good voice. you get at bigger clubs”. Parade), just before the World Cup credibly, there were only two other and became particularly well ac- This aspect of the afternoon was This definitely struck a chord kicked off, when they were selling people on the bus we caught taking quainted with the linesman by the in fact one of the most enjoyable. with me; as a Spurs fan I’ve at- crates of Stella for eight quid. Most advantage of this offer, which is a end of the game. Call it ignorance, but before the tended White Hart Lane many Warwick students live in Leaming- massive shame con- Holleran’s agitation was mostly game I had wondered a time, but never have I heard ton during their second and third sidering the because Leamington really didn’t just how pas- an Andre Villas-Boas or a years, but it seems that the value for offer up a vintage performance, de- sionate the Mauricio Pochettino vast majority of us stick money spite possessing the ball for aimless- support yell, “WHERE THE pretty close to the U1 ly long swathes of the game. It was w o u l d FUCK IS MY DE- bus route, without re- Stockport who seized the initiative b e , FENCE?” quite ally exploring much though, taking the lead when Scott and with the imme- of the town. Spencer headed in from a corner, diate intensity This seems a after a frantic opening ten minutes that I experi- shame, because in which both sides seemed content enced when there’s a fair to just lump the ball down the other standing bit going on in end of the pitch as hard and as fre- a few feet the local area quently as possible. away from which would Leamington were finished a few Paul Hol- be of interest to minutes later when the young mid- leran. most students. fielder Chris Churchman added a Slightly If you’ve both- second, in slightly farcical circum- surreal at ered to plough stances. After a decent move for first, it was your way through Stockport appeared to break down, the aspect of the entire paper to Churchman attempted a lofted the day that arrive at the Sport through ball which he appeared to I ended up en- section, I’m willing to mishit, skewing it straight in the joying the most, bet you’d enjoy a trip to that’s direction of the Leamington goal- wheth- and it’s certainly The New Windmill Ground, on offer. keeper. Neil Collett misjudged the er the what will draw me which is where Leamington FC Arriving flight of the ball however, and could game would back to The New Wind- play their home games in the Va- at the ground re- only watch helplessly as it sailed have a slightly mill Ground when Leamington narama Conference North, the minds you that you’re a long way over his head and into the back of semi-professional ‘sports day’ vibe take on Worcester City on the No- sixth tier of English football. from your beloved Old Trafford the net. to it. There’s definitely a family feel vember 1. On September 18, I travelled or Emirates Stadium but, although Unsurprisingly, these goals to the club, but there’s also a loud Hopefully, it’s a game that you to the ground with a friend to The New Windmill Ground didn’t didn’t really do much for the mood and knowledgeable fan base who might consider attending, too. I see Leamington, nicknamed ‘the exactly blow me away, it possesses of Holleran, and just before half- make evident their passion for the scanned the crowd of 855 regularly, Brakes’ (no, me neither), take on a distinctive charm all of its own. time he lobbed a football in frus- club. The club isn’t simply a local and yet didn’t recognise any other the slightly better team, Stockport Fans aren’t segregated, and you can tration at an advertising hoarding, dilution of a higher level team you students in the crowd. County. Unsurprisingly the stand- pick where you want to stand and which entertainingly deflected off might be used to watching on telly; Of course, that may be some- ard of football served up on the day watch the game. and very nearly hit a watching man rather it has a unique character of thing to do with my lack of friends, wasn’t quite your tiki-taka beautiful After we accidently stood with in the face. “It’s not going our way its own and if you visit, you’ll find but it also might be to do with game sort of stuff, not unless your a group of Stockport fans for the today is it?” he spat at me and my it impossible not to be drawn in to the fact that many sports fans on idea of beauty is long balls over first minute or so, we eventually friend at one point. We thought it wanting your adopted hometown campus, with one eye constant- the top and some dubiously heavy elected to watch the game stood probably best not to answer. do well. ly trained on the Premier League, tackles, but as a day’s entertain- in-between the two manager’s Leamington were sadly unable This distinctive character was simply don’t realise the live football ment, it’s difficult to find a single dugouts, which ended up being to find a way back into the game, something Alan, a middle-aged fan available on their doorstep. aspect to criticise. an inspired decision. Honestly, the and Stockport looked good for who’s been watching Leamington For just five pounds, you really A student ticket to the game will entertainment served up by the their three points, defending deep for the last ten years, told me after owe it to yourself to get down to the only set you back a fiver, costing Leamington gaffer, Paul Holleran, and yet still offering a threat on the game as we queued to make ground and experience the engag- slightly less than a trip to the cin- and his Stockport counterpart, the counter-attack. Whilst it was our way out of the ground. “It’s not ing football of the lower leagues. ema, and only slightly more than Alan Lord, was just as engaging as disappointing to see the Brakes Premier League football, granted” one of those suspiciously soggy what was happening on the pitch. lose, credit has to be paid to the he said, “but that’s not necessarily » Photos: wiki (top), Peter Else CostCutter baguettes for which you Lord, who looked a bit like Steptoe home fans who remained upbeat a bad thing. The part of supporting (left), GingerNut (right)