Gardies Attack

Fashionp16 -17 Halloween Featuresp20-21 Newsp4-5 Fetch the garlic and Musical ghouls and a window that must always Unemployed don your crucifix; remain open... ghostly goings on at our most graduates: how Cambridge’s ghastly creepy Colleges the recession has gents are out on the affected University prowl, Twilight-style leavers Friday October 30th 2009 e Independent Student Newspaper since 1947 Issue no 704 | varsity.co.uk Stephen Fry Exclusive Interviewp13-14 Nokia to occupy Gardies Attack new building in » Postdoc research associate hits two girls after swap West Cambridge R COLLEGE over the head of the angriest boy Emma Mustich [Wheeler]. Colm Flanagan News Editor “The boy then [left] the room, punching [Frentrop] in the stom- ach and winding her. She fell to the WhatWESTMINSTE began as a night out at Gardies ground, and had to be tended to by Nokia UK has just announced that ended in violence last Wednes- several friends. Whilst this hap- it will occupy a large building in day when a postdoctoral research pened, three of us went downstairs the Hauser Forum development, a associate attacked two girls from a to confront the boy, who then hit new site currently being planned in Girton drinking society. another girl across the face.” West Cambridge. Dr Jeff Wheeler, who works in the Frentrop said that she had not BusinessWeekly.co.uk called Department of Materials Science thrown any water or alcohol at the move “the most significant and Metallurgy, hit two members of Wheeler, and that his attack was letting in the region this year”. the Girton society in the aftermath entirely “unprovoked”. It looks set to herald further of an altercation about a table that Wheeler’s account of the event dif- collaboration between the Uni- had been double-booked. fers from that of the Girton source. versity and technology industries. Both societies had planned sep- He reports that after “wine” (not The fi rm will occupy the Broers arate swaps for the Wednesday water) was thrown in his eyes, he Building in West Cambridge, evening. Lara Frentrop, from the “reacted out of shock”. He does not an area home to collaborations Girton group, told Varsity her soci- say who threw the wine, and Fren- between the University and Micro- ety had called Gardies repeatedly to trop and other eyewitnesses told soft and Hitachi, among others. make sure their table was booked. Varsity it was not one of the girls he Close to the University’s computer They had offered to pay a deposit, later injured. laboratory and major bases for elec- but the Gardies staff had said no Wheeler continues, “I then exited trical engineering, nanoscience and such payment was necessary. the building to remove myself from physics, the site is key in the strategy The other drinking society, the the situation ... but was followed by to put Cambridge at the forefront Alverstones (an all-male society for several of the girls who continued to of research, teaching and industry. athletes), had also booked the table assault me. Ian Leslie, the pro-vice- and paid a £50 deposit. Dr Wheeler “I regrettably responded by slap- chancellor for research, said was a member of the Alverstones at ping one of the girls once as a means Nokia’s move strengthened the time, but has since been expelled of alleviating any further assaults its ties with the University. from the society. on my person.” “Our initial collaboration with Frentrop reported that her group Alice Beardmore-Gray, one of Nokia in nanoscience is now broad- had arrived and sat down at their the girls on the Alverstones swap, ening to other technologies,” he table half an hour before the Alver- recalls leaving Gardies and look- said. “We are very pleased that, stones arrived with their dates. ing behind her to see Wheeler. “His even during challenging economic “The boys were really rude,” she clothes were wet,” she told Varsity. times, industry sees the value of said, claiming that one boy had She remembers Wheeler saying long-term research in collaboration called members of her group “fuck- that he had just hit a girl, and recalls with other leading universities.” ing bitches.” By appealing to the being surprised at his nonchalance. staff at Gardies, the boys forced the She also confi rms that members girls to get up from their table. of the Girton group rushed down- Halloween The girls and the male freshers stairs to confront Wheeler. Wheeler on their swap waited in the base- “lashed out” and hit one of the girls Essay ment of Gardies until just after 9:00, “on the head”. Beardmore-Gray Getting freaky: when the Alverstones vacated the says the girl, Natalie Coan, dropped table. Trouble began as the Alver- to the pavement, while Wheeler John Poynton JOHN LINFORD stones left the table and descended “marched off”. on the to the ground fl oor. She defends the other members of Friday’s Fry day: Comedian gives ADC talk power of the Another Girton drinking soci- the Alverstones, who she says were paranormal ety member, who wished to remain “lovely” and “very apologetic”. omedy heavy-weight and Footlights alumnus Stephen Fry spoke anonymous, told Varsity, “Angry The police attended to the inci- Cat the ADC theatre last Friday. He answered audience questions, words were exchanged and a friend dent, but left when no party decided speaking mostly on the progress of his career after he left Cambridge. retaliated by throwing water to press charges. p9 2 Friday October 30th 2009 News Editors: Avantika Chilkoti, Emma Mustich and Beth Staton News www.varsity.co.uk [email protected] University Press pulls textbook In Brief which “fuels anti-Semitism” Cambridge debaters executive Vic Alhadeff said one of the win at Inter-varsity James Wilson statements belonged “in the realm of Competition Reporter racial vilification”. He stated that the book’s claims Two Cambridge students came “perpetuate myths and inaccurate out on top at the Inter-varsity A religious studies textbook for stereotypes about Judaism” which Debating Competition held at Australian high school students could “fuel anti-Semitism”, adding SOAS last weekend. Trinity Hall published by Cambridge Univer- that “thousands of students are being finalist Sean Koh and second sity Press has been removed from seriously misinformed”. year Emmanuel affiliate student bookshelves for containing alleged In response, Cambridge University Doug Cochran fought off compe- anti-Semitic slurs. Press announced it was withdraw- tition from 96 other teams to The book, Cambridge Studies of ing the book, available since 2008, take the title. The duo defeated Religion Stage 6, was withdrawn on immediately from sale. teams from Oxford, LSE and Tuesday after a complaint from the Mark O’Neil, the Executive Direc- Trinity College Dublin with an New South Wales Jewish Board of tor of the Press’s Australia and New impressive performance in the Deputies. Citing a number of “appall- Zealand branch, released a state- final, arguing for the proposition ing statements”, they requested that ment stating that he “recognised the that those who neglect to give a chapter on Judaism be rewritten concerns that have been expressed to charitable causes are morally and the book re-issued to all schools about interpretations in the book.” responsible for the death of using it. He said he would seek the advice of starving Africans. The two will It was brought to their attention an “independent expert in Judaism” be back in action next month after concerns were raised by staff before deciding whether to re-issue when Cambridge host their own at a Jewish school where the book the book, adding that the concerns inter-varsity competition. was in use. are being treated “with the utmost Author Christopher Hartney, a seriousness” in order to ensure that lecturer at Sydney University, had “the highest standards of academic Science department written that “much modern conflict integrity” are reached. to relocate in the world is related to the reactions The stated ethos of Cambridge of other groups to the Jewish people.” University Press is to “produce The Department of Materi- The Board of Deputies stated that this publications that are accurate and of als Science and Metallurgy is had the potential to incite religious educational value.” set to move to a new location Henry VIII is gout and about hatred, as it “blames Jews for the Cambridge University Press told on the West Cambridge Site, existence of much of the conflict in Varsity that they “will do whatever joining several other scientific ambridge’s ivory towers were thrown open for this month’s ‘Festi- the world”. is necessary in order to ensure departments at the purpose- val of Ideas’, a town-meets-gown affair reaching out to the wider In addition, the book states that facts are covered accurately in its built site. The department Ccommunity. Events included a discussion of ‘Jordan’s knockers’ at polygamy is a common practice in publications”. is currently spread over five gender debate ‘Becoming Barbie’ and a cheeky depiction of monarchical Israel and that Passover involves The New South Wales Jewish buildings at the New Museums masculinity from David Starkey (who drew the sketch of Henry VIII the “slaughtering of lambs, smear- Board of Deputies has said that it Site but the facilities are not above). Other attractions included Japanese Puppet making, a writing ing the lintel on the front door with “applauds” the move. suitable for high level research workshop with beloved author Michael Morpurgo, and a not-for-the- blood and eating unleavened breads No stock of the book is currently projects. In particular the new fainthearted bicentenary reading of Tennyson’s (almost) complete works.

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