Inside Arts Is Back, and in Style
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The student ‘news’paper of Imperial College London Issue 1,410 Friday 10 October 2008 felixonline.co.uk felix Inside Arts is back, and in style Pages 16 - 22 Science interviews Sir Pendry FRS Page 10 - 11 Games on a budget Page 26 - 27 Tours, tours and more tours Palestinian student trapped Back Page Felix reports on the Imperial student who is unable to attend this year. See page 4 2 felix Friday 10 October 2008 News News Editor – Kadhim Shubber [email protected] NUS call for nationwide ban New library on initiations opens, officially Jovan Nedić PICTURE: BBC NEWS Daniel Wan joinery’, a ‘glass stairway’ and a ‘semi- Editor in chief News Correspondent transparent think-tank area.’ So, wooden floor skirting, a perspex ban- Late last week, the BBC revealed a vid- Despite being open and readily avail- nister and further segregation. eo showing first year undergraduate able to students for weeks now, the felix went along to cover the official students at the University of Glouces- ‘new’ Central Library was officially opening ceremony on the 2nd of Octo- tershire taking part in an initiation opened last Thursday afternoon. After ber, but were told to “stay out the way’” ceremony, which lead to the National a noisy two years and £11 million of of official photography. felix were fur- Union of Students (NUS) calling for a renovation, the Library sees an entirely ther encouraged to use official photog- nationwide ban of initiations. refurbished ground floor, whilst the re- raphy in our coverage of the Library In the video, the students are seen maining floors have been freshened up opening, as to avoid our seemingly lined up against a wall with plastic bag with a little more than a paint job. dirtying presence at the ceremony. Im- over their heads, whilst a male in a The provision of a further 150 com- perial’s student television station stoic Nazi style uniform shouts at them and munal desk spaces, 90 new computers tv were also turned away, have been in- encourages them to drink, leading to and a 30 seat capacity training room formed that filming of the event would vomiting. A university spokesman said goes some of the way in making up for be ‘inappropriate’. felix wonders how a formal inquiry was being launched the years of cramped and sweaty mis- explicit a library opening can be to be into alleged “bullying and intimida- ery students have had to endure in past deemed inappropriate for filming. Stu- tion” during initiation ceremonies. years. dent media was sparse with only Live! Student initiations have been in the Amongst the stock of numerous attending. media spotlight in the past. In 2003, corporate soundbites, official College College delightfully promise that Look at the world through 18-year-old Alex Doji died in an initia- releases push the idea of a ‘modern renovation will continue in aim to im- tion ceremony at Staffordshire Univer- twenty first century’ library that will prove the upper floors. This includes sity after choking on his own vomit. become the ‘cultural hub’ of College the much reported temperature prob- someone else’s eyes. Another student, 18-year-old Gavin Students at the university of Gloucestershire taking part in the initiations life. Around 50 decorative canvases, lem felix covered during the last aca- Britton died after attending a golf ini- seemingly blank or unfinished, have demic year. For now though, students tiation ceremony at Exeter University been donated by Sussex-based artist can still be seen to be cooking their in 2006. Following these unfortunate for any initiations taking part. Neil We are a charity, and so while our com- Bob Brighton. full English breakfasts on fourth floor incidents, as well as the recent BBC Mosley, Head of Sport Imperial, re-af- mercial outlets are there to raise funds, College further boasts of ‘walnut desks. report, NUS President Wes Streeting firmed this publicly in my presentation doing so is in no way worthwhile if told the BBC that: “We are totally op- at the sports captains event. our students are at the slightest risk of posed to student initiations. They put In order for a club to receive union danger.” students at serious risk and exclude funding, they have to ensure that any At universities nationwide, initia- students who don’t want to take part in person may join that club, regardless tions are mainly associated with sports that binge-drinking culture.” of ability. By having initiation ceremo- teams, with many viewing them as a so- Imperial College Union [ICU] have nies, clubs were being selective and cial bonding tool, whilst others view it had initiations banned for several would therefore not be entitled to Un- as a form of bullying. Claims have also years. In the 2007 Clubs and Socie- ion funding. ICU President Jenny Mor- been made in the past that initiations ties Policy, point 63 states that; ‘Initia- gan commented that “Our members have actually deterred students from We’ll take you there, and beyond. tion ceremonies, or other compulsory are encouraged to enjoy themselves taking part in sports teams, which was (or effectively compulsory) degrading and celebrate club achievements at the one of the main reasons for ICU to ban We are going to previously inaccessible places to find the rituals, which affects the physical or Union, however, they are also encour- them in the first place. mental well-being of members, are aged to behave and drink responsibly Back in 2006 [Issue 1346], felix re- energy that the world depends on today and in the future. not permitted. Such behaviour may whilst doing so. Any profit made by the ported on initiations after the death The Atlantis platform in the Gulf of Mexico is the deepest result in severe disciplinary action be- bars is ploughed back into the services of a student at Hull who fell down ing taken against the club or society, provided to our members, for example some stairs after consuming excessive moored floating oil and gas production facility in the world. its committee and any others involved, through club funding. The best in- amounts of alcohol. This 58,700 metric ton semi-submersible platform has over and may result in the dissolution of the terests of our members are our main Although fears have been raised in club or society.’ concern and so the Union does not the past over this matter, the main ar- 18 wells and a mobile drilling unit that enables us to get In light of recent events, Imperial serve alcohol to anyone who is drunk guments for and against remain. Real- to previously unreachable energy reservoirs. Where will College London have also informed and therefore incapable of rational istically, can there ever be an effective their staff at Harlington and Tedding- thought or action because the safety of ban, or will the ban simply cause them we go next? You tell us. Look beyond the limits. ton Sports grounds to keep an eye out our members is absolutely paramount. to go underground. Awe-inspiring; blindingly clashing canvases in favour of books See life through the eyes of our employees at our Careers Presentation, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, Felix, Beit Quad, Prince Consort Road, London Imperial College, London, 13th October 2008. Starts 18.30. SW7 2BB. Tel: 020 7594 8072. Fax: 020 7594 8065. Printed by The Harmsworth Printing Ltd, 17 Brest To register for the event, please visit the Careers Service felix 1,410 Road, Derriford, Plymouth. Registered newspaper website at www.imperial.ac.uk/careers Friday 10/10/08 ISSN 1040-0711. Copyright © Felix 2008. To find out more and to register for updates visit the Felix was brought to you by: BP WAP site by texting BP4 to 80199. Editor in Chief Politics Editors Fashion Editor LOLCATS Jovan Nedić James Goldsack Dan Wan Katya-yani Vyas Deputy Editor Music Editors Kadhim Shubber Arts Editors Peter Sinclair Caz Knight Susan Yu Associate Editor David Paw O Gilead Amit Emily Wilson Sports Editors Jack Cornish F Copy Editors Food Editors Mustapher Botchway Louise Etheridge Rosie Grayburn T Tom Culley Afonso Campos Games Editors EH W Anthony Maina Azfarul Islam Jesse Garman Film Editor Sebastian Nordgren ® Dina Ismail Zuzanna Blaszczak Tom Roberts Jonathan Lloyd-Williams Dasha Nakariakova Science Editors Sorry about the mess in the office www.bp.com/ukgraduates Mičo Tatalović guys, will clean up before next EE Layout Editors Daniel Burrows week. Jemil Salami You will be charged at your normal network rate for the cost of one standard text message and for data services when browsing our site. K Alice Rowlands Coffee Break Editor Jov Ravi Pall 4 felix Friday 10 October 2008 Friday 10 October 2008 felix 5 News [email protected] [email protected] News Palestinian student prevented from Background on the issue 3 in 4 EMA grants not paid he case of Zohair Abu have created fear within Israel and his as a result of Hamas’ hostility is open Shaban is only the most ideological and material support of for debate. This is the main issue with recent in a series of similar Hezbollah and Hamas is seen as clear economic sanctions – the general pub- incidents. Many students evidence of his hostility to the Israeli lic get hit harder than the governing attending Imperial from Gaza are not being state. power. Those with government con- allowed to travel abroad to receive the The current cease-fire, beginning nections can come and go from Gaza Teducation they so desperately want. 19th June 2008, between Hamas and easily; usually from the Rafah crossing Kadhim Shubber reports on the complicated case of Zohair Abu-Shaban, a promising Electrical The state of the education system in Israel is shaky but holding.