Freshers Fair Monkey business Hero worship Doctors on tour Pull-out guide with maps and Imperial College Union RAG Felix Film has a glorious Imperial Medi cals Rugby Club stall directory, page 13 are back for more, page 12 visual treat, page 24 tour Canada, page 28 The student newspaper of Imperial College ● Established 1949 ● Issue 1299 ● Thursday 30 September 2004 ● www.felixonline.co.uk Maximum fees Two thirds of all universities are set to charge the maxi- Students to have no Future mum fee of £3000 for every course. Many are driven by fears of appearing second rate of Wye and having insufficient money to fund bursary schemes. voice on College Council uNEWS page 3 By Dave Edwards campus Super size me Editor Morgan Spurlock’s film has brought attention to an inher- There will be no student rep- in doubt ent conflict between consum- resentation whatsoever on er and corporate interests. the main governing body of uSCIENCE page 5 Imperial College, if current By Dave Edwards “Corporate responsibility is proposals are accepted at its Editor a nice theory, but it’s not next meeting. something we can realisti- Felix has obtained a copy of Last month, Imperial College cally expect in our commer- a letter sent to the members announced plans to trans- cial world.” of Imperial College Council fer most courses away from u COMMENT page 7 which outlines recommenda- the Wye campus, close the tions for sweeping changes Department of Agricultural Welfare support to the governance of the Sciences and consider the “Your personal tutor should College. The present student future of the campus in a monitor your academic representative, the Union review. progress, ensure that you President, would be removed The College Management get all the help you need, and from the Council, as would all Board has launched a consul- make sure you know what’s members of academic staff tation process recommend- going on in your department.” outside the senior manage- ing that the Faculty of Life uCOMMENT page 6 ment team. Sciences is restructured. In Dr Eileen Buttle, the Council a statement, the College said Summer success Chairman, wrote the letter to that the principal aim was The Imperial College Union report on the progress of her to maintain “a world class Boat Club ended a strong sea- review of the Council and its institution for teaching and son with victory at the Henley Committees. She is due to research in life sciences”. Royal Regatta. present formal recommenda- Student silence at 170 Queen’s Gate: students will no longer be represented at Imperial It appears that the changes uSPORT page 26 tions on 15 October. College Council meetings if proposals are approved are financially motivated, with The letter states that “the the Faculty of Life Sciences governing body should be dent representation at all. bodies of all higher education to the Council, said: “Council predicting a deficit of £11.6m seen as a meeting between Mustafa Arif, President of institutions. We continue to is about the non-executives by the end of the 2006-7 finan- those responsible for deliver- Imperial College Union, called support this principle.” holding executive manage- cial year. The Department of ing the College’s plans and the proposals “misguided” The Council is expected to ment to account. Students Agricultural Sciences, which non-executives charged with and told Felix: “Students are approve Dr Buttle’s proposals should be focusing their effort is wholly based at Wye, con- ensuring that those plans are the most important stake- at its next meeting. However, and input on day-to-day man- tributes a loss of £1.8m per delivered in the interests of holders in higher education. students’ groups and teach- agement and operations.” He year. wider stakeholders in this Council is there to hold man- ing unions are likely to lobby stressed that the plans were Professor Sir Leszek The Boat Club celebrate at prestigious UK university... agement to account over against them. The forthcom- only proposals and were to be Borysiewicz, the Deputy Henley If this revised model for the College’s long term strategy. ing review of Imperial by the debated at the next meeting. Rector designate, said: “The Council is adopted, elected The College’s future depends Quality Assurance Agency is Professor Rees Rawlings, financial position of the members have no role to on attracting and retaining seen as extremely important, the Pro Rector for Educational Faculty of Life Sciences is THIS WEEK play.” the best students, so stu- and it could count against the Quality, told Felix that the unsustainable and cannot News page 2 The letter continues: “I dent representatives should College if the Agency decides proposals would have “no be allowed to continue. The Business page 4 would propose that the be able to contribute to that that students’ views are not negative effect on education- Faculty’s presence at the Wye Science page 5 Imperial College Union be process.” being heard. al quality, because that is all campus in its current con- Comment page 6 treated as analogous to a Senior figures within Tony Mitcheson, the dealt with by the Senate [the figuration is not economically Around campus page 9 department outside the facul- Government would appear to College Secretary and Clerk College’s senior academic viable.” Listings page 10 ty structure. The President of disagree with Dr Buttle’s rec- committee]”. The proposals were met ICU should be invited annu- ommendations. Answering a Although the Senate may with dismay by students and Freshers Fair page 13 ally to Council to submit his written question in the House “If this revised be able to deal with academic staff at Wye. Imperial College Music page 18 Union’s annual report.” of Lords on 13 September, issues, it remains to be seen Union issued a statement Nightlife page 19 Imperial College already Lord Filkin, the Parliamentary model is adopted, how the Council of an aca- expressing its concern at Arts page 21 has a low level of student rep- Under Secretary of State, elected members demic institution can govern “the lack of consultation and Books page 22 resentation on the governing said: “In our response to the effectively without represent- vague nature of statements Film page 24 body compared to other uni- Dearing report in 1998 we will have no role atives from the student body about the future of agricul- Crossword page 25 versities, and if the proposals supported the recommenda- or the academic staff. tural sciences and teaching were accepted, it would be the tion that students should be to play” ● State of the Union, at Wye”. Sport page 26 only university with no stu- represented on the governing page 6 Continued on page 2 Felix 2 www.felixonline.co.uk Thursday 30 September 2004 NEWS [email protected] New Issue 1299 Emergency night bus Editor handbooks Dave Edwards Business Editor returns to Union published Numaan Chaudhry The Imperial College Union Science Editor By Dave Edwards Handbook 2004 was published Darius Nikbin Editor last week. This 176-page A5 publication is a comprehen- Music Editor An emergency night bus sive guide to the Union and Andrew Sykes service from the main Union everything that it can do for building in South Kensington students, whilst also serving Nightlife Editor will return on a trial basis as an introduction to life at Simon Clark this term. Imperial College. Arts Editor The service, which will All UK-based freshers Paola Smith provide safe transport home should have received a copy for vulnerable students on by post, and all other fresh- Books Editor ents nights, was cancelled in ers will be given one at the Martin Smith summer 2003, when a senior overseas students’ welcome Film Editor Union officer described it as meetings. Alan Ng “inefficient” and “a waste of Copies of the handbook money”. are available to all students Sub Editors However, Sameena Misba- from Union reception and Kathy Synkoski huddin, the Deputy President the Student Activities Centre Lindsay Nelson (Finance and Services), told throughout the year. You can Felix that the service had also pick one up at the Felix Felix been “badly managed in the and Union stands at Freshers Beit Quad past” and that “a lot of stu- Fair. Any comments or ques- Prince Consort Road dents have asked for it to be tions about the Union hand- London SW7 2BB brought back”. book should be directed to the Miss Misbahuddin, whose Felix office. Telephone: 020 7594 8072 pledge to reintroduce the Also available is the latest Email: [email protected] service may have won her Imperial College Student Web: www.felixonline.co.uk crucial votes in this year’s Handbook, which has been sabbatical elections, contin- put together by the College Registered newspaper ued: “It will be an emergency Registry. This is a sepa- ISSN 1040-0711 service intended for the vul- rate publication from the nerable, which means single Student safety: a Union minibus will provide transport for the vulnerable on busy ents nights Union handbook, and can be Copyright © Felix 2004 women, single men, small accessed online at www.ic.ac. groups of women, and others although Miss Misbahuddin cases of vulnerable students to check if they are using it uk/studenthandbook. It is Printed by Sharman and at the Ents Manager’s discre- is confident of cutting this by would be permitted to use the every week because there is designed to help you through- Company, Peterborough tion.” recruiting volunteers to drive night bus. She added: “We’re an issue there as well.” out your course of study.